The Unpleasant Aspects of User Experience Design
In the digital age, user-friendly interfaces are crucial for a seamless online experience. However, there exists a less ethical side of web design known as 'dark patterns', which manipulate users into actions they might not intend, often benefiting the service provider at the user’s expense.
Dark patterns exploit cognitive biases, distraction, emotional triggers, and urgency to distort decision-making processes. They are designed to trick, manipulate, and coerce users, capitalising on the fast, emotional, and instinctive part of the brain, known as System 1 thinking, making users vulnerable to nudges and pressure without careful deliberation.
Examples of such dark patterns include the 'Sneak into Basket', where extra items or services are automatically added to your shopping cart, usually with opt-out options, causing users to purchase things they didn’t explicitly choose. Another instance is the 'Roach Motel', where it's easy to get into a subscription or service, but very difficult to cancel or unsubscribe, trapping users in commitments by obfuscating cancellation steps.
Other dark patterns include 'Confirm-Shaming', which uses guilt or shame language in dialogs to pressure users into opting into something, 'Hidden Costs', where additional fees or charges are shown towards the end of the purchase process, 'Flash Sale / FOMO', which uses countdown timers or messages like “Only a few left” or “2k+ sold” to create urgency, and 'Trick Questions', where forms ask questions with misleading wording leading users to give unintended answers, confusing them and causing unintended consent or data sharing.
Regulators such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have labelled many dark patterns as illegal when they impair consumer choice or obscure important terms. Despite this, dark pattern methods are becoming more sophisticated to keep websites and online businesses afloat.
Understanding dark patterns can help users make more informed decisions and avoid being manipulated online. However, it's essential to note that not all designers choose to use dark patterns. The choice is between traditional UX design, which benefits users, and using UX knowledge to create products that manipulate, trick, and coerce users.
[1] Alison Curtls, 'Understanding Dark Patterns' (2018), available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alison_curtis/36803462046, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. [2] U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 'Report on Dark Patterns' (2020), available at: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/report-dark-patterns-using-design-manipulate-consumers-internet-marketplace/2020/12/dark-patterns-final-report.pdf. [4] European Commission, 'Guidance on Dark Patterns' (2021), available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/guidance-dark-patterns_en.
Dark patterns, a less ethical aspect of UX design, incorporate techniques like sneaky shopping additions, difficult cancellations, and manipulative language to influence user decisions, often detrimental to the user. On the other hand, technology can be leveraged through design patterns to foster a better user experience in digital environments, aligning with traditional UX design principles that prioritize user-centricity.
