Keele Research Repository

This paper investigates users’ perceptions and experiences of an anonymous digital payment system (Bitcoin) and its influence on users in terms of usability and security in comparison to other non-anonymous payment systems such as credit/debit cards. This paper identifies users’ perceptual differences in terms of usability and security. Two versions of user survey are used to collect data, which reveal significant differences in users’ perceptions of credit/debit cards and Bitcoin. The usability attributes of both systems examined show that respondents perceive the usability of credit/debit cards to be higher than Bitcoin. This has a great negative influence on users’ security perceptions of Bitcoin. We conclude that Bitcoin, as a crypto-currency, is still in its infancy and requires user education and a new way of thinking. The study recommends developing users’ mental models to deepen developers’ understanding of anonymous digital payment technology and improve user-centred design. We also make recommendations with respect to e-government services that may be developed relying on crypto-currencies.