[DC] VirSec: Virtual Reality as Cost-Effective Test Bed for Usability and Security Evaluations

Abstract

In this doctoral thesis, we explore how virtual reality (VR) can better support the development and evaluation of prototype systems, with a focus on usable security (USEC) as a sub-domain of Human-computer Interaction (HCI) research. We argue that VR, as a study platform, can augment existing USEC research paradigms by 1) enabling researchers to study systems and user behaviour in contexts that are otherwise challenging due to, for example, ethical or legal constraints and 2) improving evaluations that are constrained to conditions that can be physically replicated in the lab.