NASTY CHOICE ARCHITECTURE
-THE PREVALENCE OF DARK PATTERNS
RITA MCGRATH
Wemaythinkweexercisefreechoicewhenwearemakingdecisions.ButasmycolleagueEricJohnson pointsout,thestructureofourchoicearchitectureactuallyhasahugeinfluenceontheeventualoutcome.It isn’tsurprising,therefore,thatsomee-commerceretailerstilttheoddsintheirownfavor.
https://www.ritamcgrath.com/sparks/
A R C H I T E C T U R E O U R C H O I C E E R I C J O H S O N
CHOICE ARCHITECTURE
– THE DESIGNS THAT INFLUENCE HOW WE CHOOSE
Mycolleague,EricJohnson,haswrittenaterrificbookcalled TheElementsofChoiceinwhichhepointsoutthat“choice architects”haveahugeimpactonthedecisionsthatare eventuallymade.Byunderstandingandinfluencingthe pathpeoplegothroughtocometoaneventualdecision, choicearchitectshaveanoutsizedimpactontheoutcomes weexperience.
https://www.ritamcgrath.com/sparks/
C H O I C E RITA MCGRATH
“PEOPLE AREN’T PARTICULARLY RATIONAL WHEN IT COMES TO DECISION-MAKING”
THOUGHT SPARKS
HEURISTICS AND THE CREATION OF A PLAUSIBLE PATH
Groundbreakingworkonhowdecisionsare actuallymadehappenedatplaceslikeCarnegie MellonandStanford.Thebiginsightwasthat peopleuse“simplifiedrulesofthumb,or heuristics”tomakedecisions.InEric’swords,“The classicdemonstrationinvolvedpeoplemaking inconsistentchoices,causedbythingsthat shouldnotmatter.”But,insteadoftheusual framingoftheproblemasimperfecthumans makingsillychoices,he’stakenadifferenttack. Whatifwerecognizedtheexistenceofthese biasesanddesignedchoicearchitecturestohelp usachievebetteroutcomes?
D E C I S I O N S
P E O P L E M A K I N G C H O I C E S RITA MCGRATH THOUGHT
SPARKS
D A R K P A T T E R N S
1.NAGGING
Thisistheinterruptionofanactivity withanunrelatedrequest.
2.OBSTRUCTION
Thisinvolvesputtingobstaclesin thewayofyourgettingtotheresult youwant.
3.SNEAKING
Concealing,masking,ordelaying thedisclosureofinformation.
4.NTERFACE INTERFERENCE
Deliberatelyconfusingtheuserby puttingsomeactionsaboveothers.
5.FORCED ACTION
Allowingyoutoaccessafunction oraresourceonlyinexchangefor youperformingacertainaction.
THOUGHT SPARKS
ThisbringsmetowhatHarryBrignallhascalled“darkpatterns”inwebdesign.Adark patterninwebdesignrepresentsachoicearchitecturedeliberatelycreatedtoforce userstoselectoptionsthattheydidn’tmeanto,orwhicharenotintheirbestinterests. Hiswebsitefeaturesa“hallofshame”inwhichwebsitesthatdeploysuchtacticsare calledout. ColinGray,ahuman-computerinteractionresearcheratPurdueUniversity,has identifiedfivebasictypesofdarkpatterns
RITA MCGRATH
Leveling the playing field – toward regulation of dark patterns?
DarkpatternsontheInternetareaformofbad behaviorthatdidn’texistbefore,andregulators arealwaysslowtoreacttonovelelementsof thatkind.
But,in2018,theNorwegianConsumerCouncil (Forbrukerrådet)wroteareport,Deceivedby Design,offeringcopiousexamplesofhowthe leadingInternetplatformstookadvantageof darkpatternstoessentiallytrickconsumersinto offeringupfarmoredatathantheymighthave withadifferentdesign.By2022,thetopicwas takenupbytheOECDwhobeganhaving seriousdiscussionsabouthowtolegallydefine dark-patternmarketing(asopposedtomore benignmessaging)andtoestablishwhat consumerharmmightbecaused.
https://www.ritamcgrath.com/sparks/
D
A R K
"INTERNET PLATFORMS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF DARK PATTERNS"
P A T T E R N S
DARK PATTERNS AS A SERVICE???
Piotr?lusarski,aUXdesignerandcritic ofthewidespreaduseofdarkpatterns, foundthattherearecommercial companiesofferingusdarkpatternsas aservice!Boostplugin.combrazenly offerscompletelyfake“socialproof”for those“juststartingout”whodon’thave enoughrealbooststoshare–“Evafrom Gotenbergjustboughtthis!”. https://www.ritamcgrath.com/
SeeBoost'sscreenshot
sparks/
THOUGHT SPARKS- RITA MCGRATH
K SOME THINKING ORGANIZATION? THOUGHT SPARKS RITA MCGRATH Book Now
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