Verena Distler is a Ph.D. Researcher focusing on the human aspects of security. She applies methods and concepts from Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and User Experience (UX) to the field of security with the aim of understanding which factors contribute to perceived security and trust. More specifically, Verena investigates how displays of technical security impact perceived security and UX. She uses these insights to provide actionable design recommendations for safer technologies in various contexts including encryption, e-voting and private browsing.

Read her CHI2019 article on how displaying security mechanisms to users impacts their UX.

Verena has obtained a Master’s Degree in Information and Communication Sciences from ENS de Lyon (France) with a focus on UX. Her master thesis on the acceptance of autonomous vehicles was awarded the “Prix du Mémoire Digital” for the best Master Thesis in the digital field and published at CHI 2018 (read the article here).