{"id":19044,"date":"2019-08-02T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T07:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trilogi.com\/blog\/dark-patterns-deceptive-design\/"},"modified":"2019-08-02T09:00:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-02T07:00:21","slug":"dark-patterns-deceptive-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trilogi.com\/blog\/en\/dark-patterns-deceptive-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark Patterns: deceptive design"},"content":{"rendered":"

What have we got for you today? Despite the good weather and the urge to enjoy the holidays, we bring you a topic few have heard of, a very murky one that most of us consume every day without realizing it. Yes, design has a dark side, just like supermarkets, casinos\u2026 where background music, temperature and colors influence consumers\u2019 decisions. Digital design couldn\u2019t be left out, and to make you aware of the messages we receive, we\u2019re going to talk about dark patterns<\/strong> or Dark Patterns.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you make it to the end of this post, we\u2019ll leave you a very interesting link about the latest challenge <\/em>going viral on social media through the FaceApp <\/strong>app. We\u2019ll also share a video summarizing the main Dark patterns<\/em><\/strong>.<\/div>\n

Ready? Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

\"Dark
Image from Pexels<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

What are dark patterns, or Dark Patterns<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

The name gives us a hint as to why they\u2019re called that: they\u2019re deceptive tricks built into an interface design that make you take decisions you don\u2019t want to or didn\u2019t even notice. These unwanted actions can reveal personal data, keep you on a website longer, make you buy a service you don\u2019t need or make it hard to cancel others.<\/p>\n

\"Dark
GIF from Giphy<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

So why are these patterns used if they\u2019re meant to trick users?<\/h2>\n

Because, like any business, companies get something in return, even if not in the most honest way. These aren\u2019t usually long-term practices, but short-term ones. Yet despite being unethical, many companies keep using them because they can reap the rewards without users knowing what\u2019s going on. They\u2019re intentional designs with a \u201cmalicious\u201d component.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve surely received so much spam from a website that it only made you anxious and want to leave. And what about the times you\u2019ve tried to delete your account on a site and couldn\u2019t find the right button, or faced endless steps? Or when you wanted to contact a store and it was impossible?<\/p>\n

Anyway, some are made with very bad intentions, while others are more subtle and play on our psychology. It isn\u2019t always purely negative; there can be shades of gray. But it\u2019s true that this isn\u2019t part of a UX designer\u2019s job, which is first and foremost to put users\u2019 needs first.<\/p>\n

Let us show you the most common dark patterns<\/em><\/strong> so you can spot them in time!<\/p>\n

\"deceptive
GIF from Giphy<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Types of Dark Patterns<\/em><\/h2>\n

#1 Roach motel<\/h3>\n

In short: easy to get in, hard to get out! They make it easy to sign up for a service quickly and comfortably, but then make it hard to leave or cancel it.<\/p>\n

In this example, I literally spent half an hour trying to figure out how to close my Amazon account. It\u2019s not under \u201cMy account\u201d or in the footer… You have to contact them and, even then, find the right option to get \u201cClose account and delete data\u201d. They couldn\u2019t make it any harder! (If you want to close your account and don\u2019t know how, let me know and I\u2019ll be happy to help ??).<\/p>\n

\"Roach
\u201cRoach Motel\u201d pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#2 Misdirection<\/h3>\n

The design draws your attention to one action so you don\u2019t notice another. This example isn\u2019t as harmful as others, but the aim is to focus your attention on the paid plan rather than the free one.<\/p>\n

\"Patr\u00f3n
\u201cMisDirection\u201d pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#3 Confirmshaming<\/h3>\n

They make you feel bad for declining the option they\u2019re offering. It\u2019s a way of shaming users into doing what they want. In this case, it seems that if you don\u2019t want to download the latest version of Gmail, you\u2019re not making the \u201csmarter\u201d choice ? .<\/p>\n

\"Patr\u00f3n
\u201cConfirmshaming\u201d pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#4 Friend spam<\/h3>\n

The product asks users for their email, for example through a social network, saying it will send them interesting information, but ends up using it to send emails in their name to all their contacts, spamming all their friends. Syncing your contacts with a platform often triggers these automations.<\/p>\n

\"Patr\u00f3n
\u201cFriend spam\u201d pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#5 Disguised ads<\/h3>\n

These are ads camouflaged within the content or navigation, often sharing the same styles, and disguised so you end up clicking on them without realizing. They can look like regular content, buttons, video players, blog posts\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Patr\u00f3n
\u201cDisguised Ads\u201d pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#6 Privacy Zuckering<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s named after Facebook\u2019s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and involves getting you to share more content publicly than you\u2019d like. This is mostly due to the fine print we often accept, which lets them use your personal data freely and sell it to other companies. Signing up with your social media profile means you hand over more information than you would by filling in a regular form.<\/p>\n

\"Patr\u00f3n
\u201cPrivacy Zuckering\u201d pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

This is something we\u2019ve always come across, and scholars like Francis Bacon<\/a>, and Aristotle before him, were already referring to it with the famous phrase \u201cKnowledge is power.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a link about the latest viral challenge<\/em><\/strong> doing the rounds: taking and posting a photo of yourself on social media showing what you\u2019d look like as an older person using the FaceApp<\/strong> app (for Android<\/a> and iOS<\/a>), under the hashtag #faceappchallenge: See related post<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Should Dark patterns<\/em> be used in your eCommerce UX design?<\/h2>\n

Obviously not. We need to be transparent. We\u2019re clear that:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • UX designers will always put users and their needs first<\/li>\n
  • Business interests must be aligned with user interests<\/li>\n
  • And the most relevant actions and information will always be made easy, with no tricks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Given that our main goal is to design usable, intuitive online stores that help users complete their purchases, it\u2019s our duty to work conscientiously and give our customers full decision-making power so they can achieve their goals as easily as possible.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    To wrap up, here\u2019s a video with examples of Dark Patterns, courtesy of Nerdwriter<\/a> \/ darkpatterns.org<\/a>:<\/p>\n