2021
Gray, Colin M; Chen, Jingle; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Qu, Liyang
End User Accounts of Dark Patterns as Felt Manipulation Journal Article
In: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 5, no. CSCW2, pp. Article 372, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Asshole Design, Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values
@article{Gray2021b,
title = {End User Accounts of Dark Patterns as Felt Manipulation},
author = {Colin M Gray and Jingle Chen and Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Liyang Qu},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3479516},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-10-21},
urldate = {2021-10-21},
journal = {Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction},
volume = {5},
number = {CSCW2},
pages = {Article 372},
abstract = {Manipulation defines many of our experiences as a consumer,
including subtle nudges and overt advertising campaigns that
seek to gain our attention and money. With the advent of
digital services that can continuously optimize online
experiences to favor stakeholder requirements, increasingly
designers and developers make use of "dark
patterns"—forms of manipulation that prey on human
psychology—to encourage certain behaviors and discourage
others in ways that present unequal value to the end user.
In this paper, we provide an account of end user perceptions
of manipulation that builds on and extends notions of dark
patterns. We report on the results of a survey of users conducted in English and Mandarin Chinese (n=169), including
follow-up interviews from nine survey respondents. We used a
card sorting method to support thematic analysis of
responses from each cultural context, identifying both
qualitatively-supported insights to describe end users' felt
experiences of manipulative products, and a continuum of
manipulation. We further support this analysis through a
quantitative analysis of survey results and the presentation
of vignettes from the interviews. We conclude with
implications for future research, considerations for public
policy, and guidance on how to further empower and give
users autonomy in their experiences with digital services.},
keywords = {Asshole Design, Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Manipulation defines many of our experiences as a consumer,
including subtle nudges and overt advertising campaigns that
seek to gain our attention and money. With the advent of
digital services that can continuously optimize online
experiences to favor stakeholder requirements, increasingly
designers and developers make use of "dark
patterns"—forms of manipulation that prey on human
psychology—to encourage certain behaviors and discourage
others in ways that present unequal value to the end user.
In this paper, we provide an account of end user perceptions
of manipulation that builds on and extends notions of dark
patterns. We report on the results of a survey of users conducted in English and Mandarin Chinese (n=169), including
follow-up interviews from nine survey respondents. We used a
card sorting method to support thematic analysis of
responses from each cultural context, identifying both
qualitatively-supported insights to describe end users' felt
experiences of manipulative products, and a continuum of
manipulation. We further support this analysis through a
quantitative analysis of survey results and the presentation
of vignettes from the interviews. We conclude with
implications for future research, considerations for public
policy, and guidance on how to further empower and give
users autonomy in their experiences with digital services.
including subtle nudges and overt advertising campaigns that
seek to gain our attention and money. With the advent of
digital services that can continuously optimize online
experiences to favor stakeholder requirements, increasingly
designers and developers make use of "dark
patterns"—forms of manipulation that prey on human
psychology—to encourage certain behaviors and discourage
others in ways that present unequal value to the end user.
In this paper, we provide an account of end user perceptions
of manipulation that builds on and extends notions of dark
patterns. We report on the results of a survey of users conducted in English and Mandarin Chinese (n=169), including
follow-up interviews from nine survey respondents. We used a
card sorting method to support thematic analysis of
responses from each cultural context, identifying both
qualitatively-supported insights to describe end users' felt
experiences of manipulative products, and a continuum of
manipulation. We further support this analysis through a
quantitative analysis of survey results and the presentation
of vignettes from the interviews. We conclude with
implications for future research, considerations for public
policy, and guidance on how to further empower and give
users autonomy in their experiences with digital services.
2020
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Lee, Ahreum
What Kind of Work Do "Asshole Designers" Create? Describing Properties of Ethical Concern on Reddit Proceedings Article
In: DIS'20: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2020, ACM Press New York, NY, 2020, (Awarded Honorable Mention, top 5%).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Asshole Design, Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Reddit, Social Media
@inproceedings{Gray2020-zq,
title = {What Kind of Work Do "Asshole Designers" Create? Describing Properties of Ethical Concern on Reddit},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Ahreum Lee},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020_GrayChivukulaLee_DIS_AssholeDesign.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3357236.3395486},
doi = {10.1145/3357236.3395486},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
booktitle = {DIS'20: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems
Conference 2020},
address = {New York, NY},
organization = {ACM Press},
series = {DIS'20},
abstract = {Design practitioners are increasingly engaged in describing
ethical complexity in their everyday work, exemplified by
concepts such as "dark patterns" and "dark UX." In parallel,
researchers have shown how interactions and discourses in online
communities allow access to the various dimensions of design
complexity in practice. In this paper, we conducted a content
analysis of the subreddit "/r/assholedesign," identifying how
users on Reddit engage in conversation about ethical concerns.
We identify what types of artifacts are shared, and the salient
ethical concerns that community members link with "asshole"
behaviors. Based on our analysis, we propose properties that
describe "asshole designers," both distinct and in relation to
dark patterns, and point towards an anthropomorphization of
ethics that foregrounds the inscription of designer's values
into designed outcomes. We conclude with opportunities for
further engagement with ethical complexity in online and offline
contexts, stimulating ethics-focused conversations among social
media users and design practitioners.},
note = {Awarded Honorable Mention, top 5%},
keywords = {Asshole Design, Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Reddit, Social Media},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Design practitioners are increasingly engaged in describing
ethical complexity in their everyday work, exemplified by
concepts such as "dark patterns" and "dark UX." In parallel,
researchers have shown how interactions and discourses in online
communities allow access to the various dimensions of design
complexity in practice. In this paper, we conducted a content
analysis of the subreddit "/r/assholedesign," identifying how
users on Reddit engage in conversation about ethical concerns.
We identify what types of artifacts are shared, and the salient
ethical concerns that community members link with "asshole"
behaviors. Based on our analysis, we propose properties that
describe "asshole designers," both distinct and in relation to
dark patterns, and point towards an anthropomorphization of
ethics that foregrounds the inscription of designer's values
into designed outcomes. We conclude with opportunities for
further engagement with ethical complexity in online and offline
contexts, stimulating ethics-focused conversations among social
media users and design practitioners.
ethical complexity in their everyday work, exemplified by
concepts such as "dark patterns" and "dark UX." In parallel,
researchers have shown how interactions and discourses in online
communities allow access to the various dimensions of design
complexity in practice. In this paper, we conducted a content
analysis of the subreddit "/r/assholedesign," identifying how
users on Reddit engage in conversation about ethical concerns.
We identify what types of artifacts are shared, and the salient
ethical concerns that community members link with "asshole"
behaviors. Based on our analysis, we propose properties that
describe "asshole designers," both distinct and in relation to
dark patterns, and point towards an anthropomorphization of
ethics that foregrounds the inscription of designer's values
into designed outcomes. We conclude with opportunities for
further engagement with ethical complexity in online and offline
contexts, stimulating ethics-focused conversations among social
media users and design practitioners.
2019
Watkins, Chris; Chivukula, Shruthi S; McKay, Lucca; Gray, Colin M
"Nothing Comes Before Profit": Asshole Design in the Wild Proceedings Article
In: CHI EA '19: CHI'19 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. LBW1314, 2019.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Asshole Design, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, Reddit, Social Media, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Watkins2019-yb,
title = {"Nothing Comes Before Profit": Asshole Design in the Wild},
author = {Chris Watkins and Shruthi S Chivukula and Lucca McKay and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019_ChivukulaWatkinsMcKayGray_CHI_LBW_AssholeDesignintheWild.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3312863},
doi = {10.1145/3290607.3312863},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
booktitle = {CHI EA '19: CHI'19 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
pages = {LBW1314},
keywords = {Asshole Design, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, Reddit, Social Media, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}