Pick and Sort for Graphical Authentication

2026-05-01

AI Summary

Traditional text-based passwords impose significant memorization burdens and offer inadequate security, particularly for user groups such as children. This work proposes a “select-and-order” graphical authentication scheme in which users authenticate by selecting and arranging personalized visual elements within a configurable grid layout. By transforming the authentication process into an intuitive, interactive task, the approach enhances both usability and customizability. A preliminary evaluation based on a prototype implementation demonstrates that the scheme is easy to learn and supports flexible deployment. Although login latency is slightly higher than conventional methods, the approach remains practical for time-insensitive contexts—such as infrequent logins or secondary authentication—where usability and personalization outweigh speed considerations.

Abstract

We propose a graphical authentication scheme that follows a simple ``Pick and Sort'' design in which users choose visual elements and arrange them within a grid. Both the number of selected elements and the grid size are configurable, and the visual elements can be customized for specific user groups, such as children. A preliminary study with a prototype implementation indicated that the scheme is easy to learn and flexible to deploy. Although login times are longer than those of conventional authentication methods, the additional interaction may be acceptable in scenarios that are not time-critical, such as infrequent-access use cases or as a secondary authentication mechanism.

Problem

• graphical authentication
• user authentication
• Pick and Sort
• visual elements
• access control

Innovation

• graphical authentication
• Pick and Sort
• customizable visual elements
• configurable grid
• user-friendly authentication