User-Centered Design to Enhance IoT Cybersecurity Awareness of Non-Experts in Smart Buildings

Smart buildings, building automation and operational management have increasingly begun to incorporate Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Therefore, they have become susceptible to common cyber attacks targetting IoT devices. However, there is still a lack of an effective way of monitoring the cybersecurity situation of smart devices, IoT sensors and networks. During the operational lifecycle it may also not be easy for non-experts to discern cybersecurity issues from malfunctioning or physical safety. Therefore, we propose visualization prototypes that provide both safety and cybersecurity status of IoT devices for non-expert users in smart buildings. By utilising a user-centered design method, the visualization dashboards are developed based on requirements of two user roles - House managers and Residents. The user test results have shown the capabilities and effectiveness of leveraging dashboards to increase cybersecurity awareness in smart buildings.