The Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design

Flashcards on the topic of dark patterns in UX design.

What is a dark pattern in UX design?

A co-opting of human-centered values in the service of deceptive or malicious aims, where user value is supplanted in favor of shareholder value.

Why is it difficult for practitioners to access academic conversations about ethics and values in HCI?

These conversations are frequently bound to the academic community and related discourses, making practitioner access to these conversations difficult and activation of their implications problematic.

What do designers use to implement deceptive functionality that might not be in the user's best interest?

Their knowledge of human behavior (e.g., psychology) and the desires of end users.

According to the text, what has resulted in a gap in knowledge-building and poor resonance between the pragmatic needs of practitioners and available theory and method?

A lack of communication between HCI practitioners and the academic community.

Who is Harry Brignull?

A UX practitioner with a doctoral degree in cognitive science who first proposed the idea of ethically dubious design approaches through the neologism "dark patterns" in 2010.

What are the five primary categories of designer strategies that are labeled as dark patterns?

Nagging, Obstruction, Sneaking, Interface Interference, and Forced Action.

Define nagging as a dark pattern.

A minor redirection of expected functionality that may persist over one or more interactions.

Give an example of nagging behavior.

Instagram's repeated prompts for turning on notifications, offering only "Not Now" and "OK" options without the ability to discontinue prompts.

Define obstruction as a dark pattern.

Impeding a task flow, making an interaction more difficult than it inherently needs to be with the intent to dissuade an action.

Give an example of obstruction.

theLadders.com requiring a paid account to apply for positions and disabling text highlighting to prevent users from searching for jobs elsewhere.

Define sneaking as a dark pattern.

An attempt to hide, disguise, or delay the divulging of information that has relevance to the user.

Give an example of sneaking behavior.

Salesforce.com requiring the user to consent to a privacy statement that allows them to sell user information to other countries before unsubscribing from an email newsletter.

Define Interface Interference as a dark pattern.

Any manipulation of the user interface that privileges specific actions over others, thereby confusing the user or limiting discoverability of important action possibilities.

What are the subtypes of Interface Interference?

Hidden information, preselection, and aesthetic manipulation.

Define forced action as a dark pattern.

Any situation in which users are required to perform a specific action to access (or continue to access) specific functionality.

Give an example of forced action.

Windows 10 operating system forcing users to update their system when they attempt to shutdown or restart their computer.

What are the 2 dimensions Dark Patterns impact a user's felt experience across?

1) the user’s interpretation of the system and its communicative potential, including any salient affordances, and 2) the expected outcome that the user anticipates as a result of their previous or present interaction with the system, mediated by their continuing interpretation of the system

What did the classic "First Things First" manifesto by Ken Garland in 1964 and the more recent "Copenhagen Letter" repeatedly raise?

Issues of criticality, calling on designers to be aware of the value-laden nature of their work and the responsibility they hold in relation to other stakeholders.