UX and UI designs are becoming increasingly innovative and most designers aim to push the boundaries of design in the name of creativity. What happens when design is used and abused for unscrupulous means? Undiscerning users may be unaware of the lurking pitfalls scattered across the web and this could potentially cost them their money, privacy and plenty of time and energy. Dark patterns are misleading or deceptive design decisions that try to exploit human psychology and behaviour to get users to do things without their full knowledge.
Listed below are the types of dark patterns that are prevalent online: 1. Friend Spam Spamming is one of the successful ways UX and UI design firms exploit you. The product asks for your email or social media permissions under the falsehood that it is for a desirable outcome. Although this might seem like a way of helping you find your friends using this service, that is not the case. Their aim is to spam your contacts by sending them invitation links that claim to be from you. LinkedIn adopted this method in 2015 by secretly sending invitation emails to all of the victim’s contacts through covert means such as harmless-looking buttons. They managed to hoodwink some users but were ultimately exposed by blogger Dan Schlosser. LinkedIn were fined $13 million as a result of this lawsuit. 2. Misdirection This trick aims at focusing your concentration on one task in order to detract attention from a more pressing issue. It makes you think that you are applying for something important yet that is not the case. The creation of false information makes you that they they have your best interests at heart. However, misdirection is easy to change into a positive UX/UI pattern. 3. Roach Motel This dark pattern entails difficulty in getting out a situation, like a subscription. “Unsubscribe Your Inbox” is a very important aspect of your email. Ensure that only significant mails enter your inbox. Be meticulous in unsubscribing from the company’s newsletter mailing list if you don’t need them. Unfortunately, UX/UI design firm might make unsubscribing hard, especially when they intend to rob you. Some firms like Amazon have adopted these dark patterns. By graying out the unsubscribe button, they attempt to draw you away from having that option. 4. Forced Continuity This is a UX/UI dark pattern design that makes users sign-up for a free trial of an app or service only to end up being enrolled in paying schemes. Unfortunately, this happens to them without warning and or their consent. 5. Hidden Costs Upon reaching the final step of the checkout process, you realize that some unexpected charges have been added without prior knowledge. 6. Expanding Shopping basket This dark pattern is also referred to as negative option billing or inertia shopping. It includes sliding an additional item into your shopping basket. This is facilitated by an effectively-hidden or puzzling opt-out button. Fortunately, this dark pattern can be gotten rid of. How is that possible? Give the user complete control over what they put in their basket or cart. Any extra price should be made known to the buyer at every step of the shopping process. This dark pattern is now prohibited in the UK and various EU countries. 7. Confirmshaming This is an intellectual act of guilting the user to opt into a particular activity. The user is shamed into submission due to the way the declining option is articulated. Remember that these designers are well versed with human psychology, so they can easily manipulate your mind. 8. Disguised Advertisements These adverts are veiled as other types of navigation or content to lure you into clicking on them. Therefore, you really have to be discerning before making that move. Below are the other common dark patterns: • Prevention of price comparison • Trick Questions • Privacy Zuckering Conclusion Unlike agencies that use dark patterns to manipulate the user, most ux agencies have the interests of the user at heart. These agencies aim to provide the most transparent and productive experience for the user that will ultimately satisfy the user’s objectives. UX design is user experience design in short and it should be kept that way. Interface transparency will also come in handy to save the users. These dark patterns are merely a quick fix that will never triumph legitimate and honest UX/UI design.
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