Toward an experimental methodology for studying persuasion-based online security.

In this paper we highlight a controlled experimental design in development to investigate how the intersection of a brand's familiarity and persuasive appeal impact user willingness to engage in increased web security procedures. We offer the results of a 2 (Source: familiar vs. unfamiliar brand) x 2 (Persuasive Strategy: benefit to user vs. benefit to site) web experiment (N=48) using this approach to demonstrate its viability and generate ideas for future directions. Lessons learned and opportunities to improve this experimental methodology to further psychological research in the web security domain are discussed.