I while ago, we were commissioned to do some research on the state-of-the-art of some security technologies. One of those was fingerprint-based biometrics. After completing the report, I sanitized it and prepared a book chapter. Well that book project got canceled and a submission to the CHI conference was rejected, so the paper has languished. But a recent workshop on usability and biometrics has reassured me that the material is still relevant, so I decided to publish the paper on my web site as an essay. Have a look and tell me what you think.
Fingerprint Concerns: Performance, Usability, and Acceptance of Fingerprint Biometric Systems
Abstract: Despite the long history of using fingerprints, some key concerns still remain about the accuracy of identification, the usability of fingerprint systems in different situations, and acceptance by the users. This paper provides a review of those concerns and it provides recommendations for people considering adopting fingerprint recognition systems. The focus is on fingerprint-based systems, but other forms of biometrics will be mentioned as appropriate.