Exploring the Acceptability of Graphical Passwords for People with Dyslexia

Alphanumeric passwords are still the most common form of user authentication despite well-known usability issues. These issues, including weak composition and poor memorability, have been well-established across different user groups, yet users with dyslexia have not been studied despite making up approximately 10% of the population. In this paper, we focus on understanding the user authentication experiences of people with dyslexia (PwD) in order to better understanding their attitudes towards a graphical password system that may provide a more inclusive experience. Through interactive interviews, participants were encouraged to try three different knowledge-based authentication systems (PIN, password, and graphical password) and then discuss their strategies behind code composition. We found that PwD employed potentially dangerous workarounds when composing passwords, in particular an over-reliance on pattern-based composition. We report on how PwD do not immediately see the benefits of graphical passwords, but upon experiencing the mechanism we see opportunities for more inclusive authentication.