Heidi Trost: Human Centered Security episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 25, 2025 · 32 MIN

Heidi Trost: Human Centered Security

from Design Better · host The Curiosity Department

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/heidi-trost Designing a good security experience is hard. Every time we run into one of those security captchas that requires you to “identify all the motorcycles” in the tiled images, we want to give up and surrender to our robot overlords…or throw our laptop out the window. Our guest today, Heidi Trost, just published a book called Human-Centered Security: How to Design Systems That Are Both Safe and Usable. In the book, Heidi aims to help people who are “tired of hearing things like ‘humans are the weakest link’ and instead want to focus on designing more secure, more resilient systems.” In our conversation, we spoke with Heidi about the metrics we can use to measure the quality of the security experience, why the login/password recovery is so broken—even for companies that are good at UX design—and some ways to approach user testing for security. Bio Heidi Trost is a UX leader who helps cross-disciplinary teams improve the security user experience. With a background in UX research, Heidi does this by helping teams better understand the people they are designing for, as well as the security threats that may impact people and systems negatively. Heidi is also the host of the podcast, Human-Centered Security, where she interviews security experts and people who design for the security user experience. *** Premium Episodes on Design Better This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you’d like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you’ll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid *** Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show: Masterclass: MasterClass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200+ of the world's best. People like Steph Curry, Paul Krugman, Malcolm Gladwell, Dianne Von Furstenberg, Margaret Atwood, Lavar Burton and so many more inspiring thinkers share their wisdom in a format that is easy to follow and can be streamed anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart TV, or even in audio mode. MasterClass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to http://masterclass.com/designbetter for the current offer. Thuma: We’re the sort of people who can’t help but get lost in the details of creating a beautiful living space. A well designed home is a sanctuary for creative thinking. For those who revel in crafting a beautiful living space, Thuma offers modern furniture that transforms your home into a sanctuary for creative thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/heidi-trost Designing a good security experience is hard. Every time we run into one of those security captchas that requires you to “identify all the motorcycles” in the tiled images, we want to give up and surrender to our robot overlords…or throw our laptop out the window. Our guest today, Heidi Trost, just published a book called Human-Centered Security: How to Design Systems That Are Both Safe and Usable. In the book, Heidi aims to help people who are “tired of hearing things like ‘humans are the weakest link’ and instead want to focus on designing more secure, more resilient systems.” In our conversation, we spoke with Heidi about the metrics we can use to measure the quality of the security experience, why the login/password recovery is so broken—even for companies that are good at UX design—and some ways to approach user testing for security. Bio Heidi Trost is a UX leader who helps cross-disciplinary teams improve the security user experience. With a background in UX research, Heidi does this by helping teams better understand the people they are designing for, as well as the security threats that may impact people and systems negatively. Heidi is also the host of the podcast, Human-Centered Security, where she interviews security experts and people who design for the security user experience. *** Premium Episodes on Design Better This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you’d like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you’ll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid *** Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show: Masterclass: MasterClass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200+ of the world's best. People like Steph Curry, Paul Krugman, Malcolm Gladwell, Dianne Von Furstenberg, Margaret Atwood, Lavar Burton and so many more inspiring thinkers share their wisdom in a format that is easy to follow and can be streamed anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart TV, or even in audio mode. MasterClass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to http://masterclass.com/designbetter for the current offer. Thuma: We’re the sort of people who can’t help but get lost in the details of creating a beautiful living space. A well designed home is a sanctuary for creative thinking. For those who revel in crafting a beautiful living space, Thuma offers modern furniture that transforms your home into a sanctuary for creative thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOW PLAYING

Heidi Trost: Human Centered Security

0:00 32:23

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

The Accounting & Tax Help Desk For Our Sun Productions Stay on top of accounting and tax essentials with our podcast, designed for professionals, entrepreneurs and anyone looking to better understand the wold of finance. Naturally Inspired Podcast: Health. Freedom. Lifestyle. Tammy Cuthbert Garcia Naturally Inspired Podcast is a weekly podcast where we interview health practitioners, authors, filmmakers, scientists and leading experts in the fields of health and wellness. Guests are on the cutting edge and our conversations aim to inspire listeners to think critically about health choices for better life results. Learn More At https://naturallyinspiredpodcast.com/ Take the Leap Colleen Biggs When was the last time you took a leap of faith trusting that everything is going to work out? Do you crave growth, or are you merely content with the status quo? If you want more out of your life, out of your career, and out of your relationships, you are in the right place. It's time for you to step into the Spotlight to expand your influence and attract the right clients. Your Host, Colleen Biggs, will expose the actions you need to take, through the experiences and interviews of our guests, so you no longer are sitting on the sidelines, but that you are finally taking an active role in defining the design of your life rather than living it by default. We will be interviewing elite leaders that will share their greatest regrets, successes, and how they did it! Week after week you will learn all about how you too can take the leap of faith, trust in yourself and stop living a life only by default. The Syndicate Blogcast: Startups | Startup Investing | Tech News | Angel Investors | VC | Venture Capital | Private Equity | Crowdfunding | Fundraising Matt Ward - Serial Entrepreneur | Angel Investor | Startup Advisor | Amazon Ecommerce The Syndicate Blogcast show is an extension of The Syndicate podcast, featuring long form articles on the future technology, ecommerce, business and life. The mini-sodes deconstruct high level startup, business and tech issues to help investors and operators better understand and win the market. Recurring topics include: Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Ecommerce, Blockchains, ICOs, Cryptocurrencies, Marketing, Fundraising, Venture Capital, Startup Challenges, Business Development and more. The Blogcast comes in addition to The Syndicate - the place where investors and startups combine to create crazy businesses and even crazier returns. The Syndicate podcast is a deep dive on the angel investors and VCs behind the big name startups. We interview the best and brightest investors, syndicate leads, GPs, limited partners and startup founders to create an original, off the cuff discussion on startup investing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Design Better?

This episode is 32 minutes long.

When was this Design Better episode published?

This episode was published on March 25, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/heidi-trost Designing a good security experience is hard. Every time we run into one of those security captchas that requires you to “identify all the motorcycles” in...

Can I download this Design Better episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!