Most companies measure their cybersecurity awareness programs by the wrong numbers. Completion rates. Assessment scores. Compliance checkboxes.

But here’s the truth: those metrics don’t measure behavior change—they measure endurance. How long can an employee tolerate a video before the “Next” button appears?

At Aware Force, we’ve learned that the real metric that predicts cybersecurity success is much simpler—and much more human: time spent voluntarily engaging with content.

The Psychology Behind “Time Spent”

When we analyze the numbers, it’s like walking through an IKEA: the longer you stay in the store, the more likely you are to make a purchase. It’s not accidental—every display, every turn, is designed to keep you moving, curious, and emotionally engaged.

The same principle applies to digital learning. Studies in education and consumer psychology consistently show that engagement time directly correlates with retention and recall.

A 2023 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that active, emotionally engaging content increased learners’ retention by up to 60% compared to passive, one-way instruction. 

In cybersecurity, that means the longer an employee spends with your content, the more likely they are to remember what to do when it matters.

Why Traditional Training Fails

Most security awareness programs are designed for compliance rather than curiosity.

Employees are forced to watch long videos once or twice a year, answer a few questions, and check the box. It’s punishment disguised as training.

That’s why the average completion time for traditional cybersecurity modules is under 60 seconds per segment, and most users forget 90% of what they learned within a week. 

Contrast that with Aware Force campaigns, where average viewing time regularly exceeds eight minutes. Why? Because our approach borrows from behavioral psychology:

• Topical: Content connects to what’s happening right now—phishing scams in the news, AI threats, data breaches.
  
• Relatable: Written in clear, everyday language, not “tech talk.”
  
• Interactive: Quizzes, sliders, games, and micro-challenges keep employees clicking, exploring, and thinking.
  

When employees are invited to engage—rather than coerced—they spend more time, and that time builds awareness that sticks.

“Time Spent” Beats “Checked the Box”

If you can measure only one number in your cybersecurity education program, make it this one: Average Time Spent per User, per Month.

Why? Because time is a proxy for interest. You can’t fake it.

A spike in engagement time signals one of three things:

1. The content resonated personally.
   
2. The employee found it entertaining or valuable.
   
3. The employee felt safe exploring—there was no fear of failing a test or being punished.
   

When people linger, they learn.

How to Increase “Time Spent” in Your Security Content

Here’s how leading companies (and Aware Force clients) do it:

1. Make it human. Focus on real-life impacts—how scams target kids, parents, or small moments at work. People care more when it’s about them.
   
2. Keep it fresh. Publish content regularly, not once a quarter. This “drip” cadence reinforces memory before it fades.
   
3. Add micro-interactions. Every click is a tiny dopamine hit. Quizzes, polls, games, and scenario sliders extend engagement and improve recall.
   
4. Use storytelling. Narrative-based learning can double information retention rates compared to static instructions.
   
5. Measure what matters. Track dwell time, return visits, and click depth—not just completions. These metrics predict true awareness.
   

The New Benchmark for Awareness Programs

Compliance will always matter—auditors need evidence. But engagement time tells you if your employees are actually safer.

As time spent increases, phishing click rates drop. When employees stay longer with security stories, they begin sharing them, and when curiosity replaces compliance, behavior changes.

This is where cybersecurity awareness becomes less about obligation and more about culture.

How Aware Forcer Measures It

At Aware Force, we track engagement in real time across newsletters, videos, and games. Our benchmark goal: 8+ minutes of voluntary time spent per user per session—a figure that correlates directly with recall and reduced risk behavior.

Because the ultimate goal isn’t to make employees compliant.
It’s to make them care.

We have the perfect solution if you’re considering elevating your organization’s cybersecurity to a whole new level.

Engage your employees in cybersecurity year-round with content tailored to your company’s brand from Aware Force. Check our Cybersecurity Newsletter page to know more or connect with us, and you’ll see why organizations across the US and Canada use outstanding cybersecurity content — branded for them — and delivered by Aware Force.