Internet User awareness, perception, experience and usability of CAPTCHA

Abstract

This research investigated the level of awareness, experiences, perceptions and usability of CAPTCHA among  University of Ibadan students. Survey  research design was adopted. The population of the study is Internet users
among Postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.  Purposive sampling was used to select six  faculties from the university in order to have a mix of arts, humanities and science disciplines. The faculties  selected are Agriculture, Arts, Basic Medical Science, Science, Social Science and Technology. Convenience sampling technique) was used to select 50 students drawn across six faculties because the population of internet users  among the students is indeterminate. The study used qualitative method (interview) for data collection. The study found a high level of awareness of CAPTCHA among the students, especially the text-based CAPTCHA. The students had good and positive perceptions towards the tests as they perceived, to a large extent, that CAPTCHAs are  needed, and have a lot of advantages. The students’ experiences with use of CAPTCHAs were positive; however, some expressed some challenges associated with the usage. The study concludes that the respondents had high awareness of, and positive dispositions toward CAPTCHAs. In as much as CAPTCHA needs to afford effortless  security that strikes the right  balance between providing reassurance and demanding effort as users recognise a need for security, the study recommends that designers and developers of CAPTCHAs consider developing  CAPTCHAs that are more human friendly, tough enough to prevent bots from passing them, but easy for humans to pass successfully with minimal frustrations.

Keywords: CAPTCHA, Cyber, Security, Experience, Internet, Users, Nigeria