Section 12.6. Conclusion

12.6. Conclusion

In the description and analysis of our usability study, we have provided an approach for evaluating the usability of security devices. This approach both introduces general usability attributes and calls for their experimental evaluation. We have applied our systemic approach to measure the usability of alternative form factors of a subclass of security devices, cryptographic smart cards. The study results clearly show that different form factors do have different levels of usability. In the (plausible) scenario where mobility is demanded and no smart card reader infrastructure is in place, smart cards scored lower on many usability attributescosts, mobility, etc.and security, as compared to the USB tokens evaluated.