[R U X] Corner
................................................................................ We are graduate and undergraduate students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. ................................................................................
Dark Patterns: The Psychology of Mass Manipulation? ARTICLE BY REID SANTIAGO / Correspondent PHOTOS BY POLYGON AND REID SANTIAGO DESIGN BY DYLAN KOWLESSAR / Editor-in-Chief
Have you ever spent a concerning number of hours scrolling on social media? Have you ever spent more money than you meant to on in-app purchases or microtransactions in a video game? I am willing to bet that even if you haven’t experienced one of these occurrences specifically, you’ve had another experience with social or entertainment media that left you feeling uncomfortable. These are only a few examples of the ways that psychology principles have been used by the UX designers to manipulate consumers. In 2010, cognitive psychologist Harry Brignull coined a term to describe this phenomenon: Dark Patterns.
Entertainment Systems course, I learned the term Dark Mechanics, another name for Dark Patterns. For Dr. Doherty’s course, I annotated 14 studies that examined Dark Patterns in video games and the role of UX in addiction to games.
In his 2019 book, “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World”, computer scientist Cal Newport says that the developers of platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are in the business of designing features which prioritize user engagement at all costs. Each of these platforms contain familiar elements that drive our behavior. Like buttons have evolved from simple expressive interactions to a social currency with real power. Social media feeds have evolved from mere collections of content from followed creators to endlessly curating streams of data. Paid extras in video games have become an increasingly predatory market for compulsive buying. These elements use subtle psychological tactics to modify and influence the behavior of users. Studies in digital addiction have been conducted for decades, but in the last ten years, studies have surfaced which focus on habit-building tactics in user experience. Cal Newport’s book was my first introduction to this topic, and in Dr. Shawn Doherty’s Human Factors in Page 22
Raids in Destiny 2 require six players to play sessions that often last up to five or six hours.