Act2Auth

Authentication (e.g., entering a password) is frequently perceived as an annoying obstacle when interacting with computational devices, but still essential to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. We present Act2Auth, a novel concept for embedding authentication into users’ established routines by sensing tangible interactions at desks. With Act2Auth, users can authenticate by performing (secret) routines, such as putting a cup on their desk, rearranging their keyboard, and touching their mouse. The Act2Auth concept is informed by (1) an object analysis of 107 desk photos from Reddit, (2) an online survey (𝑁 = 65) investigating users’ strategies for creating touch-based authentication secrets, and (3) a technical exploration of capacitive touch-sensing at desks. We then (4) implemented a prototype and evaluated the usability as well as the memorability of Act2Auth compared to textual passwords (𝑁 = 8). With Act2Auth, we provide fundamental work on how to embed authentication tasks into our daily tangible interactions.

Publication

Sarah Delgado Rodriguez, Sarah Prange, Lukas Mecke and Florian Alt. Act2Auth – A Novel Authentication Concept based on Embedded Tangible Interaction at Desks. In Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA.

ActPad is a desk pad, capable of sensing capacitive touch input in desk setups. Our prototype can sense touches on both, its electrodes and on connected objects. ActPad’s interaction-space is customizable, allowing easy integration and extension of existing desk environments.
In smart environments, users may interact with more than one device at the same time. This generates the need for new interaction mechanisms that bundle the control of multiple ubiquitous devices. We support this need through a platform that extends interaction with IoT devices. ActPad accounts for different ways of controlling IoT devices by enabling various modes of interaction – in particular simultaneous, sequential, implicit and explicit – and, hence, a rich input space. As a proof of concept, we illustrate several use cases, including, but not limited to, controlling the browser on a PC, turning lights on/off, switching songs, or preparing coffee.

Project Resources

You can find all necessary resources to build your own ActPad here: ActPad_Resources.zip

Publication

Sarah Delgado Rodriguez, Sarah Prange, Lukas Mecke and Florian Alt. ActPad – A Smart Desk Platform to Enable User Interaction with IoT Devices. In Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. CHIEA'21. ACM, New York, NY, USA. [Download Bibtex]

Presentation and Trailer