Do You See the Warning? Cybersecurity Warnings via Nonconscious Processing

Computer warnings are often ignored or dismissed because they interrupt people's current workflow. We test a different perception channel, via nonconscious processing, to display warning and thus do not interrupt users' workflow. Specifically, we used subliminal messages displayed for 50 milliseconds. Our previous studies show that they significantly reduce people's disclosure of personal information. Compared to typical cognitive science studies, this display duration is long. An essential question is whether our warning messages are really delivered via nonconscious processing because different design elements may affect users' perception. In this project, we tested users' reactions to three warning message. We evaluated three important components: background and foreground colors, warning words, and text format inside the message box. Results show that 50 milliseconds are at the threshold of nonconscious processing, but the visibilities are different for different designs.