5. Agenda:
1. Background of Dark Patterns research
2. Show examples
3. Hear YOUR experiences with each pattern
from #a11y perspective
6. History of
Dark Patterns
Harry Brignull (@harrybr)
coined the term
Brignull started a website,
DarkPatterns.org dedicated
to popularizing the Pattern
Library
Identified12 Dark Patterns
denoted on the next slide
21. Brignull’s
Confirm
Shaming
“The act of guilting
the user into
opting in…The
option to decline is
worded in such a
way as to shame
the user into
compliance”
28. Brignull’s
Roach Motel
“The design makes
it very easy for you
to get into a
certain situation,
but then makes it
hard for you to get
out of it (e.g. a
subscription)”
29. There is no
way to
unsubscribe
from this
Streaming
Sports channel
30. If you want to
close an
account w/
this postal
service
provider you
must call
31. Brignull’s
Forced
Continuity
“When your free trial
with a service comes
to an end and your
credit card silently
starts getting
charged without any
warning. You are
then not given an
easy way to cancel
the automatic
renewal”
35. Last thoughts on Strategy #2: Obstruction?
Do you have an example of Purdue’s
Obstruction Strategy you want to share?
36. Purdue’s Strategy #3: Sneaking
“Attempting to hide,
disguise, or delay
the divulging of
information that is
relevant to the
user”
37. Brignull’s
Sneak Into
Basket
“You attempt to
purchase something,
but somewhere in
the purchasing
journey the site
sneaks an additional
item into your basket,
often through the
use of an opt-out
radio button or
checkbox on a prior
page”
43. Brignull’s
Hidden Costs
“You get to the last
step of the
checkout process,
only to discover
some unexpected
charges have
appeared, e.g.
delivery charges,
tax, etc”
62. Last thoughts on #4: Interface Interference?
Do you have an example of Purdue’s
Interface Interference Strategy you want to
share?
63. Purdue #5: Forced Action
“Requiring the user to perform a
certain action to access (or
continue to access) certain
functionality”
64. Brignull’s
Friend Spam
“The product asks for
your email or social
media permissions
under the pretense it will
be used for a desirable
outcome (e.g. finding
friends), but then spams
all your contacts in a
message that claims to
be from you”
72. Last thoughts on Strategy #5: Forced Action?
Do you have an example of Purdue’s Forced
Action Strategy you want to share?
73. More Research needed
I suggest contacting the researchers and urging them
to include Accessibility as a separate category of
research
Children are another category deserving of attention,
as they are more likely to be impacted by Dark
Patterns
Anyone have more to add on the Research Angle?