Graphical Authentication

An authentication method that uses images, patterns, or visual elements instead of text-based passwords. Graphical authentication leverages human visual memory, which is generally stronger than verbal memory for recognition tasks. Types include recognition-based systems (selecting known images from decoys), recall-based systems (drawing patterns or gestures), and cued-recall systems (clicking specific points on images). For accessibility, graphical authentication can benefit people with motor impairments when it requires only simple selection rather than precise gestures, though it may present barriers for people with visual impairments.