Hi all, I'm in the process of designing a qualitative study looking at the way people learn to use encryption tools (PGP and Tor, specifically). This is * not* a usability study--more an exploration of the social practices involved in selecting a tool and then figuring out how to configure and use it properly. The purpose of this project is to begin developing an understanding of how users at varying levels of technical expertise navigate this process, which may eventually inform user experience design in the future.
The current plan is to do a pretty typical deployment of a survey (n = 100-?) and conduct interviews (n = 20). I would love to get some input from this group about how to collect and store this data as securely as possible/feasible. I expect to have participants with a wide range of technical expertise, and want to make sure my collection and storage practices will meet the standards of the most security conscious among us. (FYI - I'm not interested in what participants are encrypting or why, and will not be asking about these activities.) To get the ball rolling, I'll throw out some of the options I've been considering. Nothing is set in stone at this point--I welcome recommendations to improve upon this: - Store all data, audio recordings, transcripts, notes, etc., locally in an encrypted hard drive partition (TrueCrypt). Any backups would also be in encrypted directories on external storage devices (nothing in the cloud). - Interviews: conducted in person whenever possible; when not possible, agreeing upon a voice or video system with participants individually. Interviews will need to be recorded, and I will be the only person with access to the recordings. - Survey: this is where I'm a little stuck. SurveyMonkey is pretty standard in this area, and they've at least thought through a security policy. If taking a survey run through them is a non-starter, I would greatly appreciate recommendations for other options. Thanks in advance for your advice, it is very much appreciated. best, Courtney -- Courtney Loder PhD Student Department of Informatics Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences University of California, Irvine http://courtneyloder.com
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