Past studies have demonstrated that a significant number of users don't notice permission warnings.1

Of those users that do notice them, many misunderstand their meaning.1

Icons have been shown to increase warning comprehension.2

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PURPOSE

Can icons increase comprehension of Android permission warnings?

SURVEY 1: INSTALL TIME

• How do well do users understand icons relating to permissions at install time?

• This is currently when permission information is shown.

SURVEY 1: SETUP

What permission is being requested?

Permissions: Do Icons Help Comprehension?Ariel Haney, Serge Egelman, Nathan Good, David Wagner

SURVEY 1: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

• Although the number of users who understood the permissions was low, these numbers represent a 21%-51% increase in comprehension from textual permission warnings.

SURVEY 2: RUNTIME

• How well do users understand permission icons at runtime?

• Previous research has shown that warnings are most effective when shown right before the hazard is encountered.2

• Control condition – The icon is shown above an app that would clearly need the permission. Experimental condition – The icon is shown above an app that is unlikely to need the permission.

Work Cited

1 A. P. Felt, E. Ha, S. Egelman, A. Haney, E. Chin, and D. Wagner. Android Permissions: User Attention, Comprehension, and Behavior. The 2012 Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS).

2. M. S. Wogalter, V. C. Conzola, and T. L. Smith-jackson. Research-based guidelines for warning design and evaluation. Human Factors, 33, 2012, pp. 219-230.

SURVEY 2: CONTROL CONDITION

SURVEY 2: EXPERIMENTAL CONDITION

SURVEY 2: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS

• Users understand icons better than the current text explaining Android permissions.

• Future work to improve icons’ ability to signal inappropriate runtime permissions.