2024
Gray, Colin M; Gunawan, Johanna; Schäfer, René; Bielova, Nataliia; Chamorro, Lorena Sánchez; Seaborn, Katie; Mildner, Thomas; Sandhaus, Hauke
Mobilizing Research and Regulatory Action on Dark Patterns and Deceptive Design Practices Proceedings Article Forthcoming
In: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '24), Forthcoming.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation
@inproceedings{Gray2024-lo,
title = {Mobilizing Research and Regulatory Action on Dark Patterns and Deceptive Design Practices},
author = {Colin M Gray and Johanna Gunawan and René Schäfer and Nataliia Bielova and Lorena Sánchez Chamorro and Katie Seaborn and Thomas Mildner and Hauke Sandhaus},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3636310
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2024_Grayetal_CHI_DarkPatternsWorkshop.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3613905.3636310},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-05-01},
urldate = {2024-05-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems (CHI EA '24)},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation},
pubstate = {forthcoming},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Gray, Colin M; Santos, Cristiana; Bielova, Nataliia; Mildner, Thomas
An Ontology of Dark Patterns Knowledge: Foundations, Definitions, and a Pathway for Shared Knowledge-Building Proceedings Article Forthcoming
In: CHI'24: Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM Press, Forthcoming.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation
@inproceedings{Gray2023-yt,
title = {An Ontology of Dark Patterns Knowledge: Foundations, Definitions, and a Pathway for Shared Knowledge-Building},
author = {Colin M Gray and Cristiana Santos and Nataliia Bielova and Thomas Mildner},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024_Grayetal_CHI_OntologyDarkPatterns.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3613904.3642436},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-05-01},
urldate = {2023-09-01},
booktitle = {CHI'24: Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human
Factors in Computing Systems},
publisher = {ACM Press},
abstract = {Deceptive and coercive design practices are increasingly used by
companies to extract profit, harvest data, and limit consumer
choice. Dark patterns represent the most common contemporary
amalgamation of these problematic practices, connecting
designers, technologists, scholars, regulators, and legal
professionals in transdisciplinary dialogue. However, a lack of
universally accepted definitions across the academic,
legislative and regulatory space has likely limited the impact
that scholarship on dark patterns might have in supporting
sanctions and evolved design practices. In this paper, we seek
to support the development of a shared language of dark
patterns, harmonizing ten existing regulatory and academic
taxonomies of dark patterns and proposing a three-level ontology
with standardized definitions for 65 synthesized dark patterns
types across low-, meso-, and high-level patterns. We illustrate
how this ontology can support translational research and
regulatory action, including pathways to extend our initial
types through new empirical work and map across application
domains.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation},
pubstate = {forthcoming},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Deceptive and coercive design practices are increasingly used by
companies to extract profit, harvest data, and limit consumer
choice. Dark patterns represent the most common contemporary
amalgamation of these problematic practices, connecting
designers, technologists, scholars, regulators, and legal
professionals in transdisciplinary dialogue. However, a lack of
universally accepted definitions across the academic,
legislative and regulatory space has likely limited the impact
that scholarship on dark patterns might have in supporting
sanctions and evolved design practices. In this paper, we seek
to support the development of a shared language of dark
patterns, harmonizing ten existing regulatory and academic
taxonomies of dark patterns and proposing a three-level ontology
with standardized definitions for 65 synthesized dark patterns
types across low-, meso-, and high-level patterns. We illustrate
how this ontology can support translational research and
regulatory action, including pathways to extend our initial
types through new empirical work and map across application
domains.
companies to extract profit, harvest data, and limit consumer
choice. Dark patterns represent the most common contemporary
amalgamation of these problematic practices, connecting
designers, technologists, scholars, regulators, and legal
professionals in transdisciplinary dialogue. However, a lack of
universally accepted definitions across the academic,
legislative and regulatory space has likely limited the impact
that scholarship on dark patterns might have in supporting
sanctions and evolved design practices. In this paper, we seek
to support the development of a shared language of dark
patterns, harmonizing ten existing regulatory and academic
taxonomies of dark patterns and proposing a three-level ontology
with standardized definitions for 65 synthesized dark patterns
types across low-, meso-, and high-level patterns. We illustrate
how this ontology can support translational research and
regulatory action, including pathways to extend our initial
types through new empirical work and map across application
domains.
2023
Gray, Colin M; Santos, Cristiana; Bielova, Nataliia; Mildner, Thomas
Arxiv Preprint, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation
@unpublished{Gray2023-nv,
title = {An Ontology of Dark Patterns Knowledge: Foundations, Definitions, and a Pathway for Shared Knowledge-Building},
author = {Colin M Gray and Cristiana Santos and Nataliia Bielova and Thomas Mildner},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2309.09640},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-09-01},
urldate = {2023-09-01},
abstract = {Deceptive and coercive design practices are increasingly
used by companies to extract profit, harvest data, and limit
consumer choice. Dark patterns represent the most common
contemporary amalgamation of these problematic practices,
connecting designers, technologists, scholars, regulators,
and legal professionals in transdisciplinary dialogue.
However, a lack of universally accepted definitions across
the academic, legislative and regulatory space has likely
limited the impact that scholarship on dark patterns might
have in supporting sanctions and evolved design practices.
In this paper, we seek to support the development of a
shared language of dark patterns, harmonizing ten existing
regulatory and academic taxonomies of dark patterns and
proposing a three-level ontology with standardized
definitions for 65 synthesized dark patterns types across
low-, meso-, and high-level patterns. We illustrate how this
ontology can support translational research and regulatory
action, including pathways to extend our initial types
through new empirical work and map across application
domains.},
howpublished = {Arxiv Preprint},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {unpublished}
}
Deceptive and coercive design practices are increasingly
used by companies to extract profit, harvest data, and limit
consumer choice. Dark patterns represent the most common
contemporary amalgamation of these problematic practices,
connecting designers, technologists, scholars, regulators,
and legal professionals in transdisciplinary dialogue.
However, a lack of universally accepted definitions across
the academic, legislative and regulatory space has likely
limited the impact that scholarship on dark patterns might
have in supporting sanctions and evolved design practices.
In this paper, we seek to support the development of a
shared language of dark patterns, harmonizing ten existing
regulatory and academic taxonomies of dark patterns and
proposing a three-level ontology with standardized
definitions for 65 synthesized dark patterns types across
low-, meso-, and high-level patterns. We illustrate how this
ontology can support translational research and regulatory
action, including pathways to extend our initial types
through new empirical work and map across application
domains.
used by companies to extract profit, harvest data, and limit
consumer choice. Dark patterns represent the most common
contemporary amalgamation of these problematic practices,
connecting designers, technologists, scholars, regulators,
and legal professionals in transdisciplinary dialogue.
However, a lack of universally accepted definitions across
the academic, legislative and regulatory space has likely
limited the impact that scholarship on dark patterns might
have in supporting sanctions and evolved design practices.
In this paper, we seek to support the development of a
shared language of dark patterns, harmonizing ten existing
regulatory and academic taxonomies of dark patterns and
proposing a three-level ontology with standardized
definitions for 65 synthesized dark patterns types across
low-, meso-, and high-level patterns. We illustrate how this
ontology can support translational research and regulatory
action, including pathways to extend our initial types
through new empirical work and map across application
domains.
Gray, Colin M; Mildner, Thomas; Bielova, Nataliia
Arxiv Preprint, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation, Research Methods
@unpublished{Gray2023-bs,
title = {Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns: A Case Study of a User's Odyssey to Conquer Prime Membership Cancellation through the "Iliad Flow"},
author = {Colin M Gray and Thomas Mildner and Nataliia Bielova},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2309.09635},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-09-01},
urldate = {2023-09-01},
abstract = {Dark patterns are ubiquitous in digital systems, impacting
users throughout their journeys on many popular apps and
websites. While substantial efforts from the research
community in the last five years have led to consolidated
taxonomies of dark patterns, including an emerging ontology,
most applications of these descriptors have been focused on
analysis of static images or as isolated pattern types. In
this paper, we present a case study of Amazon Prime's
``Iliad Flow'' to illustrate the interplay of dark patterns
across a user journey, grounded in insights from a US
Federal Trade Commission complaint against the company. We
use this case study to lay the groundwork for a methodology
of Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP), including
considerations for characterization of individual dark
patterns across a user journey, combinatorial effects of
multiple dark patterns types, and implications for expert
detection and automated detection.},
howpublished = {Arxiv Preprint},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Regulation, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {unpublished}
}
Dark patterns are ubiquitous in digital systems, impacting
users throughout their journeys on many popular apps and
websites. While substantial efforts from the research
community in the last five years have led to consolidated
taxonomies of dark patterns, including an emerging ontology,
most applications of these descriptors have been focused on
analysis of static images or as isolated pattern types. In
this paper, we present a case study of Amazon Prime's
``Iliad Flow'' to illustrate the interplay of dark patterns
across a user journey, grounded in insights from a US
Federal Trade Commission complaint against the company. We
use this case study to lay the groundwork for a methodology
of Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP), including
considerations for characterization of individual dark
patterns across a user journey, combinatorial effects of
multiple dark patterns types, and implications for expert
detection and automated detection.
users throughout their journeys on many popular apps and
websites. While substantial efforts from the research
community in the last five years have led to consolidated
taxonomies of dark patterns, including an emerging ontology,
most applications of these descriptors have been focused on
analysis of static images or as isolated pattern types. In
this paper, we present a case study of Amazon Prime's
``Iliad Flow'' to illustrate the interplay of dark patterns
across a user journey, grounded in insights from a US
Federal Trade Commission complaint against the company. We
use this case study to lay the groundwork for a methodology
of Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP), including
considerations for characterization of individual dark
patterns across a user journey, combinatorial effects of
multiple dark patterns types, and implications for expert
detection and automated detection.
Lachheb, Ahmed; Abramenka-Lachheb, Victoria; Moore, Stephanie; Gray, Colin
The role of design ethics in maintaining students' privacy: A call to action to learning designers in higher education Journal Article
In: British journal of educational technology: journal of the Council for Educational Technology, vol. 54, iss. 6, pp. 1653-1670, 2023, ISSN: 0007-1013.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Instructional Design
@article{Lachheb2023-ys,
title = {The role of design ethics in maintaining students' privacy: A call to action to learning designers in higher education},
author = {Ahmed Lachheb and Victoria Abramenka-Lachheb and Stephanie Moore and Colin Gray},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13382},
doi = {10.1111/bjet.13382},
issn = {0007-1013},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-08-01},
urldate = {2023-08-01},
journal = {British journal of educational technology: journal of the Council for Educational Technology},
volume = {54},
issue = {6},
pages = {1653-1670},
publisher = {John Wiley & Sons, Ltd},
abstract = {Maintaining students' privacy in higher education, an
integral aspect of learning design and technology integration,
is not only a matter of policy and law but also a matter of
design ethics. Similar to faculty educators, learning designers
in higher education play a vital role in maintaining students'
privacy by designing learning experiences that rely on online
technology integration. Like other professional designers, they
need to care for the humans they design for by not producing
designs that infringe on their privacy, thus, not causing harm.
Recognizing that widely used instructional design models are
silent on the topic and do not address ethical considerations
such as privacy, we focus this paper on how design ethics can be
leveraged by learning designers in higher education in a
practical manner, illustrated through authentic examples. We
highlight where the ethical responsibility of learning designers
comes into the foreground when maintaining students' privacy and
well-being, especially in online settings. We outline an
existing ethical decision-making framework and show how learning
designers can use it as a call to action to protect the students
they design for, strengthening their ethical design capacity.
Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic
Existing codes of ethical standards from well-known learning
design organizations call upon learning designers to protect
students' privacy without clear guidance on how to do so. Design
ethics within learning design is often discussed in abstract
ways with principles that are difficult to apply. Most, if not
all, design models that learning design professionals have
learned are either silent on design ethics and/or do not
consider ethics as a valid dimension, thus, making design ethics
mostly excluded from learning design graduate programs.
Practical means for engaging in ethical design practice are
scarce in the field. What this paper adds A call for learning
designers in higher education to maintain and protect students'
privacy and well-being, strengthening their ethical design
capacity. A demonstration of how to use a practical ethical
decision-making framework as a designerly tool in designing for
learning to maintain and protect students' privacy and
well-being. Authentic examples?in the form of vignettes?of
ethical dilemmas/issues that learning designers in higher
education could face, focused on students' privacy.
Methods?using a practical ethical decision-making framework?for
learning design professionals in higher education, grounded in
the philosophy of designers as the guarantors of designs, to be
employed to detect situations where students' privacy and best
interests are at risk. A demonstration of how learning designers
could make stellar design decisions in service to the students
they design for and not to the priorities of other design
stakeholders. Implications for practice and/or policy Higher
education programs/institutions that prepare/employ learning
designers ought to treat the topics of the designer's
responsibility and design ethics more explicitly and practically
as one of the means to maintain and protect students' privacy,
in addition to law and policies. Learning designers in higher
education ought to hold a powerful position in their
professional practice to maintain and protect students' privacy
and well-being, as an important aspect of their ethical design
responsibilities. Learning designers in higher education ought
to adopt a design thinking mindset in order to protect students'
privacy by (1) challenging ideas and assumptions regarding
technology integration in general and (2) detecting what is
known in User Experience (UX) design as "dark patterns" in
online course design.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Instructional Design},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Maintaining students' privacy in higher education, an
integral aspect of learning design and technology integration,
is not only a matter of policy and law but also a matter of
design ethics. Similar to faculty educators, learning designers
in higher education play a vital role in maintaining students'
privacy by designing learning experiences that rely on online
technology integration. Like other professional designers, they
need to care for the humans they design for by not producing
designs that infringe on their privacy, thus, not causing harm.
Recognizing that widely used instructional design models are
silent on the topic and do not address ethical considerations
such as privacy, we focus this paper on how design ethics can be
leveraged by learning designers in higher education in a
practical manner, illustrated through authentic examples. We
highlight where the ethical responsibility of learning designers
comes into the foreground when maintaining students' privacy and
well-being, especially in online settings. We outline an
existing ethical decision-making framework and show how learning
designers can use it as a call to action to protect the students
they design for, strengthening their ethical design capacity.
Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic
Existing codes of ethical standards from well-known learning
design organizations call upon learning designers to protect
students' privacy without clear guidance on how to do so. Design
ethics within learning design is often discussed in abstract
ways with principles that are difficult to apply. Most, if not
all, design models that learning design professionals have
learned are either silent on design ethics and/or do not
consider ethics as a valid dimension, thus, making design ethics
mostly excluded from learning design graduate programs.
Practical means for engaging in ethical design practice are
scarce in the field. What this paper adds A call for learning
designers in higher education to maintain and protect students'
privacy and well-being, strengthening their ethical design
capacity. A demonstration of how to use a practical ethical
decision-making framework as a designerly tool in designing for
learning to maintain and protect students' privacy and
well-being. Authentic examples?in the form of vignettes?of
ethical dilemmas/issues that learning designers in higher
education could face, focused on students' privacy.
Methods?using a practical ethical decision-making framework?for
learning design professionals in higher education, grounded in
the philosophy of designers as the guarantors of designs, to be
employed to detect situations where students' privacy and best
interests are at risk. A demonstration of how learning designers
could make stellar design decisions in service to the students
they design for and not to the priorities of other design
stakeholders. Implications for practice and/or policy Higher
education programs/institutions that prepare/employ learning
designers ought to treat the topics of the designer's
responsibility and design ethics more explicitly and practically
as one of the means to maintain and protect students' privacy,
in addition to law and policies. Learning designers in higher
education ought to hold a powerful position in their
professional practice to maintain and protect students' privacy
and well-being, as an important aspect of their ethical design
responsibilities. Learning designers in higher education ought
to adopt a design thinking mindset in order to protect students'
privacy by (1) challenging ideas and assumptions regarding
technology integration in general and (2) detecting what is
known in User Experience (UX) design as "dark patterns" in
online course design.
integral aspect of learning design and technology integration,
is not only a matter of policy and law but also a matter of
design ethics. Similar to faculty educators, learning designers
in higher education play a vital role in maintaining students'
privacy by designing learning experiences that rely on online
technology integration. Like other professional designers, they
need to care for the humans they design for by not producing
designs that infringe on their privacy, thus, not causing harm.
Recognizing that widely used instructional design models are
silent on the topic and do not address ethical considerations
such as privacy, we focus this paper on how design ethics can be
leveraged by learning designers in higher education in a
practical manner, illustrated through authentic examples. We
highlight where the ethical responsibility of learning designers
comes into the foreground when maintaining students' privacy and
well-being, especially in online settings. We outline an
existing ethical decision-making framework and show how learning
designers can use it as a call to action to protect the students
they design for, strengthening their ethical design capacity.
Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic
Existing codes of ethical standards from well-known learning
design organizations call upon learning designers to protect
students' privacy without clear guidance on how to do so. Design
ethics within learning design is often discussed in abstract
ways with principles that are difficult to apply. Most, if not
all, design models that learning design professionals have
learned are either silent on design ethics and/or do not
consider ethics as a valid dimension, thus, making design ethics
mostly excluded from learning design graduate programs.
Practical means for engaging in ethical design practice are
scarce in the field. What this paper adds A call for learning
designers in higher education to maintain and protect students'
privacy and well-being, strengthening their ethical design
capacity. A demonstration of how to use a practical ethical
decision-making framework as a designerly tool in designing for
learning to maintain and protect students' privacy and
well-being. Authentic examples?in the form of vignettes?of
ethical dilemmas/issues that learning designers in higher
education could face, focused on students' privacy.
Methods?using a practical ethical decision-making framework?for
learning design professionals in higher education, grounded in
the philosophy of designers as the guarantors of designs, to be
employed to detect situations where students' privacy and best
interests are at risk. A demonstration of how learning designers
could make stellar design decisions in service to the students
they design for and not to the priorities of other design
stakeholders. Implications for practice and/or policy Higher
education programs/institutions that prepare/employ learning
designers ought to treat the topics of the designer's
responsibility and design ethics more explicitly and practically
as one of the means to maintain and protect students' privacy,
in addition to law and policies. Learning designers in higher
education ought to hold a powerful position in their
professional practice to maintain and protect students' privacy
and well-being, as an important aspect of their ethical design
responsibilities. Learning designers in higher education ought
to adopt a design thinking mindset in order to protect students'
privacy by (1) challenging ideas and assumptions regarding
technology integration in general and (2) detecting what is
known in User Experience (UX) design as "dark patterns" in
online course design.
Gray, Colin M; Chamorro, Lorena Sánchez; Obi, Ike; Duane, Ja-Nae
Mapping the Landscape of Dark Patterns Scholarship: A Systematic Literature Review Proceedings Article
In: Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS Companion '23), Ässociation for Computing Machinery, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2023.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Transdisciplinarity
@inproceedings{Gray2023-zc,
title = {Mapping the Landscape of Dark Patterns Scholarship: A Systematic Literature Review},
author = {Colin M Gray and Lorena Sánchez Chamorro and Ike Obi and Ja-Nae Duane},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3563703.3596635
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023_Grayetal_DISPWIP_DarkPatternsLandscape.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3563703.3596635},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-07-01},
urldate = {2023-07-01},
booktitle = {Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS Companion
'23)},
volume = {1},
publisher = {Ässociation for Computing Machinery},
address = {Pittsburgh, PA, USA},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Transdisciplinarity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Gray, Colin M; Santos, Cristiana; Tong, Nicole; Mildner, Thomas; Rossi, Arianna; Gunawan, Johanna; Sinders, Caroline
Dark Patterns and the Emerging Threats of Deceptive Design Practices Proceedings Article
In: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '23), 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Transdisciplinarity
@inproceedings{Gray2023-kq,
title = {Dark Patterns and the Emerging Threats of Deceptive Design Practices},
author = {Colin M Gray and Cristiana Santos and Nicole Tong and Thomas Mildner and Arianna Rossi and Johanna Gunawan and Caroline Sinders},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023_CHI_SIG_DarkPattersDeceptiveDesign.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3583173},
doi = {10.1145/3544549.3583173},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-04-01},
urldate = {2023-04-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors
in Computing Systems (CHI EA '23)},
abstract = {Growth hacking, particularly within the spectre of surveillance
capitalism, has led to the widespread use of deceptive,
manipulative, and coercive design techniques in the last decade.
These challenges exist at the intersection of many diferent
technology professions that are rapidly evolving and
``shapeshifting'' their design practices to confront emerging
regulation. A wide range of scholars have increasingly addressed
these challenges through the label ``dark patterns,'' describing
the content of deceptive and coercive design practices, the
ubiquity of these patterns in contemporary digital systems, and
the impact of emerging regulatory and legislative action on the
presence of dark patterns. Building on this convergent and
trans-disciplinary research area, the aims of this SIG are to:
1) Provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to
address methodologies for detecting, characterizing, and
regulating dark patterns; 2) Identify opportunities for
additional empirical work to characterize and demonstrate harms
related to dark patterns; and 3) Aid in convergence among HCI,
design, computational, regulatory, and legal perspectives on
dark patterns. These goals will enable an
internationally-diverse, engaged, and impactful research
community to address the threats of dark patterns on digital
systems.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Transdisciplinarity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Growth hacking, particularly within the spectre of surveillance
capitalism, has led to the widespread use of deceptive,
manipulative, and coercive design techniques in the last decade.
These challenges exist at the intersection of many diferent
technology professions that are rapidly evolving and
``shapeshifting'' their design practices to confront emerging
regulation. A wide range of scholars have increasingly addressed
these challenges through the label ``dark patterns,'' describing
the content of deceptive and coercive design practices, the
ubiquity of these patterns in contemporary digital systems, and
the impact of emerging regulatory and legislative action on the
presence of dark patterns. Building on this convergent and
trans-disciplinary research area, the aims of this SIG are to:
1) Provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to
address methodologies for detecting, characterizing, and
regulating dark patterns; 2) Identify opportunities for
additional empirical work to characterize and demonstrate harms
related to dark patterns; and 3) Aid in convergence among HCI,
design, computational, regulatory, and legal perspectives on
dark patterns. These goals will enable an
internationally-diverse, engaged, and impactful research
community to address the threats of dark patterns on digital
systems.
capitalism, has led to the widespread use of deceptive,
manipulative, and coercive design techniques in the last decade.
These challenges exist at the intersection of many diferent
technology professions that are rapidly evolving and
``shapeshifting'' their design practices to confront emerging
regulation. A wide range of scholars have increasingly addressed
these challenges through the label ``dark patterns,'' describing
the content of deceptive and coercive design practices, the
ubiquity of these patterns in contemporary digital systems, and
the impact of emerging regulatory and legislative action on the
presence of dark patterns. Building on this convergent and
trans-disciplinary research area, the aims of this SIG are to:
1) Provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to
address methodologies for detecting, characterizing, and
regulating dark patterns; 2) Identify opportunities for
additional empirical work to characterize and demonstrate harms
related to dark patterns; and 3) Aid in convergence among HCI,
design, computational, regulatory, and legal perspectives on
dark patterns. These goals will enable an
internationally-diverse, engaged, and impactful research
community to address the threats of dark patterns on digital
systems.
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Bongard-Blanchy, Kerstin; Mathur, Arunesh; Gunawan, Johanna; Schaffner, Brennan
Emerging Transdisciplinary Perspectives to Confront Dark Patterns Proceedings Article
In: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '23), 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Transdisciplinarity
@inproceedings{Gray2023-wg,
title = {Emerging Transdisciplinary Perspectives to Confront Dark Patterns},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Kerstin Bongard-Blanchy and Arunesh Mathur and Johanna Gunawan and Brennan Schaffner},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023_CHI_Panel_TransdisciplinaryDarkPatterns.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3583745},
doi = {10.1145/3544549.3583745},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-04-01},
urldate = {2023-04-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors
in Computing Systems (CHI EA '23)},
abstract = {Technology ethics is increasingly at the forefront of
human-computer interaction scholarship, with increasing
visibility not only to end users of technology, but also
regulators, technology practitioners, and platforms. The notion
of ``dark patterns'' has emerged as one common framing of
technology manipulation, describing instances where
psychological or perceptual tricks are used to decrease user
agency and autonomy. In this panel, we have assembled a group of
highly diverse early-career scholars that have built a
transdisciplinary approach to scholarship on dark patterns,
engaging with a range of socio-technical approaches and
perspectives. Panelists will discuss their methodological
approaches, key research questions to be considered in this
emerging area of scholarship, and necessary connections between
and among disciplinary perspectives to engage with the diverse
constituencies that frame the creation, use, and impacts of dark
patterns.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Transdisciplinarity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Technology ethics is increasingly at the forefront of
human-computer interaction scholarship, with increasing
visibility not only to end users of technology, but also
regulators, technology practitioners, and platforms. The notion
of ``dark patterns'' has emerged as one common framing of
technology manipulation, describing instances where
psychological or perceptual tricks are used to decrease user
agency and autonomy. In this panel, we have assembled a group of
highly diverse early-career scholars that have built a
transdisciplinary approach to scholarship on dark patterns,
engaging with a range of socio-technical approaches and
perspectives. Panelists will discuss their methodological
approaches, key research questions to be considered in this
emerging area of scholarship, and necessary connections between
and among disciplinary perspectives to engage with the diverse
constituencies that frame the creation, use, and impacts of dark
patterns.
human-computer interaction scholarship, with increasing
visibility not only to end users of technology, but also
regulators, technology practitioners, and platforms. The notion
of ``dark patterns'' has emerged as one common framing of
technology manipulation, describing instances where
psychological or perceptual tricks are used to decrease user
agency and autonomy. In this panel, we have assembled a group of
highly diverse early-career scholars that have built a
transdisciplinary approach to scholarship on dark patterns,
engaging with a range of socio-technical approaches and
perspectives. Panelists will discuss their methodological
approaches, key research questions to be considered in this
emerging area of scholarship, and necessary connections between
and among disciplinary perspectives to engage with the diverse
constituencies that frame the creation, use, and impacts of dark
patterns.
Gray, Colin M; Santos, Cristiana; Bielova, Nataliia
Towards a Preliminary Ontology of Dark Patterns Knowledge Proceedings Article
In: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '23), 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Regulation, Transdisciplinarity
@inproceedings{Gray2023-ds,
title = {Towards a Preliminary Ontology of Dark Patterns Knowledge},
author = {Colin M Gray and Cristiana Santos and Nataliia Bielova},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585676
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_GraySantosBielova_CHIBLW_OntologyDarkPatterns.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3544549.3585676},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
urldate = {2023-01-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors
in Computing Systems (CHI EA '23)},
abstract = {Deceptive design practices are increasingly used by companies to
extract profit, harvest data, and limit consumer choice. Dark
patterns represent the most common contemporary amalgamation of
these problematic practices, connecting designers,
technologists, scholars, regulators, and legal professionals in
transdisciplinary dialogue. However, a lack of universally
accepted definitions across the academic, legislative and
regulatory space has likely limited the impact that scholarship
on dark patterns might have in supporting sanctions and evolved
design practices. In this late breaking work, we seek to
harmonize regulatory and academic taxonomies of dark patterns,
proposing a preliminary three-level ontology to create a shared
language that supports translational research and regulatory
action. We identify potential directions for scholarship and
social impact building upon this ontology.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Regulation, Transdisciplinarity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Deceptive design practices are increasingly used by companies to
extract profit, harvest data, and limit consumer choice. Dark
patterns represent the most common contemporary amalgamation of
these problematic practices, connecting designers,
technologists, scholars, regulators, and legal professionals in
transdisciplinary dialogue. However, a lack of universally
accepted definitions across the academic, legislative and
regulatory space has likely limited the impact that scholarship
on dark patterns might have in supporting sanctions and evolved
design practices. In this late breaking work, we seek to
harmonize regulatory and academic taxonomies of dark patterns,
proposing a preliminary three-level ontology to create a shared
language that supports translational research and regulatory
action. We identify potential directions for scholarship and
social impact building upon this ontology.
extract profit, harvest data, and limit consumer choice. Dark
patterns represent the most common contemporary amalgamation of
these problematic practices, connecting designers,
technologists, scholars, regulators, and legal professionals in
transdisciplinary dialogue. However, a lack of universally
accepted definitions across the academic, legislative and
regulatory space has likely limited the impact that scholarship
on dark patterns might have in supporting sanctions and evolved
design practices. In this late breaking work, we seek to
harmonize regulatory and academic taxonomies of dark patterns,
proposing a preliminary three-level ontology to create a shared
language that supports translational research and regulatory
action. We identify potential directions for scholarship and
social impact building upon this ontology.
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.
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Melkey, Kassandra; Manocha, Rhea
Understanding “Dark” Design Roles in Computing Education Proceedings Article
In: ICER'21: Proceedings of the 14th ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Design Education, Ethics and Values
@inproceedings{Gray2021b,
title = {Understanding “Dark” Design Roles in Computing Education},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Kassandra Melkey and Rhea Manocha},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3446871.3469754},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-08-19},
urldate = {2021-08-19},
booktitle = {ICER'21: Proceedings of the 14th ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research},
abstract = {In conjunction with the increasing ubiquity of technology,
computing educators have identified the need for pedagogical
engagement with ethical awareness and moral reasoning. Typical
approaches to incorporating ethics in computing curricula have
focused primarily on abstract methods, principles, or paradigms
of ethical reasoning, with relatively little focus on examining
and developing students' pragmatic awareness of ethics as
grounded in their everyday work practices. In this paper, we
identify and describe computing students' negotiation of values
as they engage in authentic design problems through a lab
protocol study. We collected data from four groups of three
students each, with each group including participants from
either undergraduate User Experience Design students, Industrial
Engineering students, or a mix of both. We used a thematic
analysis approach to identify the roles that students took on to
address the design prompt. Through our analysis, we found that
the students took on a variety of ``dark'' roles that resulted
in manipulation of the user and prioritization of stakeholder
needs over user needs, with a focus either on building solutions
or building rationale for design decisions. We found these roles
to actively propagate through design discourses, impacting other
designers in ways that frequently reinforced unethical decision
making. Even when students were aware of ethical concerns based
on their educational training, this awareness did not
consistently result in ethically-sound decisions. These findings
indicate the need for additional ethical supports to inform
everyday computing practice, including means of actively
identifying and balancing negative societal impacts of design
decisions. The roles we have identified may productively support
the development of pragmatically-focused ethical training in
computing education, while adding more precision to future
analysis of computing student discourses and outputs.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Design Education, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In conjunction with the increasing ubiquity of technology,
computing educators have identified the need for pedagogical
engagement with ethical awareness and moral reasoning. Typical
approaches to incorporating ethics in computing curricula have
focused primarily on abstract methods, principles, or paradigms
of ethical reasoning, with relatively little focus on examining
and developing students' pragmatic awareness of ethics as
grounded in their everyday work practices. In this paper, we
identify and describe computing students' negotiation of values
as they engage in authentic design problems through a lab
protocol study. We collected data from four groups of three
students each, with each group including participants from
either undergraduate User Experience Design students, Industrial
Engineering students, or a mix of both. We used a thematic
analysis approach to identify the roles that students took on to
address the design prompt. Through our analysis, we found that
the students took on a variety of ``dark'' roles that resulted
in manipulation of the user and prioritization of stakeholder
needs over user needs, with a focus either on building solutions
or building rationale for design decisions. We found these roles
to actively propagate through design discourses, impacting other
designers in ways that frequently reinforced unethical decision
making. Even when students were aware of ethical concerns based
on their educational training, this awareness did not
consistently result in ethically-sound decisions. These findings
indicate the need for additional ethical supports to inform
everyday computing practice, including means of actively
identifying and balancing negative societal impacts of design
decisions. The roles we have identified may productively support
the development of pragmatically-focused ethical training in
computing education, while adding more precision to future
analysis of computing student discourses and outputs.
computing educators have identified the need for pedagogical
engagement with ethical awareness and moral reasoning. Typical
approaches to incorporating ethics in computing curricula have
focused primarily on abstract methods, principles, or paradigms
of ethical reasoning, with relatively little focus on examining
and developing students' pragmatic awareness of ethics as
grounded in their everyday work practices. In this paper, we
identify and describe computing students' negotiation of values
as they engage in authentic design problems through a lab
protocol study. We collected data from four groups of three
students each, with each group including participants from
either undergraduate User Experience Design students, Industrial
Engineering students, or a mix of both. We used a thematic
analysis approach to identify the roles that students took on to
address the design prompt. Through our analysis, we found that
the students took on a variety of ``dark'' roles that resulted
in manipulation of the user and prioritization of stakeholder
needs over user needs, with a focus either on building solutions
or building rationale for design decisions. We found these roles
to actively propagate through design discourses, impacting other
designers in ways that frequently reinforced unethical decision
making. Even when students were aware of ethical concerns based
on their educational training, this awareness did not
consistently result in ethically-sound decisions. These findings
indicate the need for additional ethical supports to inform
everyday computing practice, including means of actively
identifying and balancing negative societal impacts of design
decisions. The roles we have identified may productively support
the development of pragmatically-focused ethical training in
computing education, while adding more precision to future
analysis of computing student discourses and outputs.
Gray, Colin M; Santos, Cristiana; Bielova, Nataliia; Toth, Michael; Clifford, Damian
Dark Patterns and the Legal Requirements of Consent Banners: An Interaction Criticism Perspective Honorable Mention Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives
@inproceedings{Gray2021,
title = {Dark Patterns and the Legal Requirements of Consent Banners: An Interaction Criticism Perspective},
author = {Colin M Gray and Cristiana Santos and Nataliia Bielova and Michael Toth and Damian Clifford},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2009.10194},
doi = {10.1145/3411764.3445779},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-05-01},
urldate = {2021-05-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
abstract = {User engagement with data privacy and security through consent banners has become a ubiquitous part of interacting with internet services. While previous work has addressed consent banners from either interaction design, legal, and ethics-focused perspectives, little research addresses the connections among multiple disciplinary approaches, including tensions and opportunities that transcend disciplinary boundaries. In this paper, we draw together perspectives and commentary from HCI, design, privacy and data protection, and legal research communities, using the language and strategies of "dark patterns" to perform an interaction criticism reading of three different types of consent banners. Our analysis builds upon designer, interface, user, and social context lenses to raise tensions and synergies that arise together in complex, contingent, and conflicting ways in the act of designing consent banners. We conclude with opportunities for transdisciplinary dialogue across legal, ethical, computer science, and interactive systems scholarship to translate matters of ethical concern into public policy.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Legal and Policy Perspectives},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
User engagement with data privacy and security through consent banners has become a ubiquitous part of interacting with internet services. While previous work has addressed consent banners from either interaction design, legal, and ethics-focused perspectives, little research addresses the connections among multiple disciplinary approaches, including tensions and opportunities that transcend disciplinary boundaries. In this paper, we draw together perspectives and commentary from HCI, design, privacy and data protection, and legal research communities, using the language and strategies of "dark patterns" to perform an interaction criticism reading of three different types of consent banners. Our analysis builds upon designer, interface, user, and social context lenses to raise tensions and synergies that arise together in complex, contingent, and conflicting ways in the act of designing consent banners. We conclude with opportunities for transdisciplinary dialogue across legal, ethical, computer science, and interactive systems scholarship to translate matters of ethical concern into public policy.
2020
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Gray, Colin M
Co-Evolving Towards Evil Design Outcomes: Mapping Problem and Solution Process Moves Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Design Research Society, Design Research Society, Brisbane, Australia, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Design Theory, Ethics and Values
@inproceedings{Chivukula2020-ai,
title = {Co-Evolving Towards Evil Design Outcomes: Mapping Problem and Solution Process Moves},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020_ChivukulaGray_DRS_CoEvolutionTowardsEvilDesign.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/drs.2020.107},
doi = {10.21606/drs.2020.107},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-08-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Design Research Society},
publisher = {Design Research Society},
address = {Brisbane, Australia},
abstract = {Creative outcomes require designers to continuously frame the
problem space and generate solutions, resulting in the
co-evolution of problem and solution. Little work has addressed
the value dimensions of design activity with regard to this co-
evolutionary process and the role of the designer in acting upon
specific and value- laden framings and/or solutions. In this
paper, we identify how triads of student designers from user
experience (UX) and industrial engineering (IE) disciplines
frame the problem space and generate solutions, foregrounding
the ethical character of their judgments in response to an
ethically-nuanced design task. Using sequence analysis to
analyze the lab protocol data, we describe the frequency and
interconnectedness of process moves that lead the design team
towards unethical outcomes. Based on our findings, we call for
additional attention to ethical dimensions of problem-solution
co- evolution, and identify key interaction patterns among
designers that lead towards unethical outcomes.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Design Theory, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Creative outcomes require designers to continuously frame the
problem space and generate solutions, resulting in the
co-evolution of problem and solution. Little work has addressed
the value dimensions of design activity with regard to this co-
evolutionary process and the role of the designer in acting upon
specific and value- laden framings and/or solutions. In this
paper, we identify how triads of student designers from user
experience (UX) and industrial engineering (IE) disciplines
frame the problem space and generate solutions, foregrounding
the ethical character of their judgments in response to an
ethically-nuanced design task. Using sequence analysis to
analyze the lab protocol data, we describe the frequency and
interconnectedness of process moves that lead the design team
towards unethical outcomes. Based on our findings, we call for
additional attention to ethical dimensions of problem-solution
co- evolution, and identify key interaction patterns among
designers that lead towards unethical outcomes.
problem space and generate solutions, resulting in the
co-evolution of problem and solution. Little work has addressed
the value dimensions of design activity with regard to this co-
evolutionary process and the role of the designer in acting upon
specific and value- laden framings and/or solutions. In this
paper, we identify how triads of student designers from user
experience (UX) and industrial engineering (IE) disciplines
frame the problem space and generate solutions, foregrounding
the ethical character of their judgments in response to an
ethically-nuanced design task. Using sequence analysis to
analyze the lab protocol data, we describe the frequency and
interconnectedness of process moves that lead the design team
towards unethical outcomes. Based on our findings, we call for
additional attention to ethical dimensions of problem-solution
co- evolution, and identify key interaction patterns among
designers that lead towards unethical outcomes.
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Watkins, Chris; Manocha, Rhea; Chen, Jingle; Gray, Colin M
Dimensions of UX Practice that Shape Ethical Awareness Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM Press, New York, NY, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Practice
@inproceedings{Chivukula2020-bv,
title = {Dimensions of UX Practice that Shape Ethical Awareness},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Chris Watkins and Rhea Manocha and Jingle Chen and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020_Chivukulaetal_CHI_DimensionsThatShapeEthicalAwareness.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376459},
doi = {10.1145/3313831.3376459},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-04-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems},
publisher = {ACM Press},
address = {New York, NY},
series = {CHI'20},
abstract = {HCI researchers are increasingly interested in describing the
complexity of design practice, including ethical,
organizational, and societal concerns. Recent studies have
identified individual practitioners as key actors in driving the
design process and culture within their respective
organizations, and we build upon these efforts to reveal
practitioner concerns regarding ethics on their own terms. In
this paper, we report on the results of an interview study with
eleven UX practitioners, capturing their experiences that
highlight dimensions of design practice that impact ethical
awareness and action. Using a bottom-up thematic analysis, we
identified five dimensions of design complexity that influence
ethical outcomes and span individual, collaborative, and
methodological framing of UX activity. Based on these findings,
we propose a set of implications for the creation of
ethically-centered design methods that resonate with this
complexity and inform the education of future UX practitioners.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Practice},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
HCI researchers are increasingly interested in describing the
complexity of design practice, including ethical,
organizational, and societal concerns. Recent studies have
identified individual practitioners as key actors in driving the
design process and culture within their respective
organizations, and we build upon these efforts to reveal
practitioner concerns regarding ethics on their own terms. In
this paper, we report on the results of an interview study with
eleven UX practitioners, capturing their experiences that
highlight dimensions of design practice that impact ethical
awareness and action. Using a bottom-up thematic analysis, we
identified five dimensions of design complexity that influence
ethical outcomes and span individual, collaborative, and
methodological framing of UX activity. Based on these findings,
we propose a set of implications for the creation of
ethically-centered design methods that resonate with this
complexity and inform the education of future UX practitioners.
complexity of design practice, including ethical,
organizational, and societal concerns. Recent studies have
identified individual practitioners as key actors in driving the
design process and culture within their respective
organizations, and we build upon these efforts to reveal
practitioner concerns regarding ethics on their own terms. In
this paper, we report on the results of an interview study with
eleven UX practitioners, capturing their experiences that
highlight dimensions of design practice that impact ethical
awareness and action. Using a bottom-up thematic analysis, we
identified five dimensions of design complexity that influence
ethical outcomes and span individual, collaborative, and
methodological framing of UX activity. Based on these findings,
we propose a set of implications for the creation of
ethically-centered design methods that resonate with this
complexity and inform the education of future UX practitioners.
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai
When Does Manipulation Turn a Design 'Dark'? Journal Article
In: Interactions, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 96–96, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, UX Practice
@article{Gray2020-il,
title = {When Does Manipulation Turn a Design 'Dark'?},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3173574},
doi = {10.1145/3173574},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
journal = {Interactions},
volume = {27},
number = {1},
pages = {96--96},
publisher = {Interactions},
abstract = {Websites such as this one, shared on the ``asshole design''
subreddit, use fake errors or obstructionist language to block
access to content or user choice, drawing on dark pattern
strategies such as obstruction and forced action.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, UX Practice},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Websites such as this one, shared on the ``asshole design''
subreddit, use fake errors or obstructionist language to block
access to content or user choice, drawing on dark pattern
strategies such as obstruction and forced action.
subreddit, use fake errors or obstructionist language to block
access to content or user choice, drawing on dark pattern
strategies such as obstruction and forced action.
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Lee, Ahreum
What Kind of Work Do "Asshole Designers" Create? Describing Properties of Ethical Concern on Reddit Honorable Mention 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},
urldate = {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
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Gray, Colin M; Brier, Jason A
Analyzing Value Discovery in Design Decisions Through Ethicography Honorable Mention Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2019, (Awarded Best of CHI Honorable Mention, top 5%).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values
@inproceedings{Chivukula2019-xb,
title = {Analyzing Value Discovery in Design Decisions Through Ethicography},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Colin M Gray and Jason A Brier},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019_ChivukulaGrayBrier_CHI_ValueDiscoveryEthicography.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3290605.3300307},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-05-01},
urldate = {2019-05-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
series = {CHI '19},
abstract = {HCI scholarship is increasingly concerned with the ethical
impact of socio-technical systems. Current theoretically-driven
approaches that engage with ethics generally prescribe only
abstract approaches by which designers might consider values in
the design process. However, there is little guidance on methods
that promote value discovery, which might lead to more specific
examples of relevant values in specific design contexts. In this
paper, we elaborate a method for value discovery, identifying
how values impact the designer's decision making. We demonstrate
the use of this method, called Ethicography, in describing value
discovery and use throughout the design process. We present
analysis of design activity by user experience (UX) design
students in two lab protocol conditions, describing specific
human values that designers considered for each task, and
visualizing the interplay of these values. We identify
opportunities for further research, using the Ethicograph method
to illustrate value discovery and translation into design
solutions.},
note = {Awarded Best of CHI Honorable Mention, top 5%},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
HCI scholarship is increasingly concerned with the ethical
impact of socio-technical systems. Current theoretically-driven
approaches that engage with ethics generally prescribe only
abstract approaches by which designers might consider values in
the design process. However, there is little guidance on methods
that promote value discovery, which might lead to more specific
examples of relevant values in specific design contexts. In this
paper, we elaborate a method for value discovery, identifying
how values impact the designer's decision making. We demonstrate
the use of this method, called Ethicography, in describing value
discovery and use throughout the design process. We present
analysis of design activity by user experience (UX) design
students in two lab protocol conditions, describing specific
human values that designers considered for each task, and
visualizing the interplay of these values. We identify
opportunities for further research, using the Ethicograph method
to illustrate value discovery and translation into design
solutions.
impact of socio-technical systems. Current theoretically-driven
approaches that engage with ethics generally prescribe only
abstract approaches by which designers might consider values in
the design process. However, there is little guidance on methods
that promote value discovery, which might lead to more specific
examples of relevant values in specific design contexts. In this
paper, we elaborate a method for value discovery, identifying
how values impact the designer's decision making. We demonstrate
the use of this method, called Ethicography, in describing value
discovery and use throughout the design process. We present
analysis of design activity by user experience (UX) design
students in two lab protocol conditions, describing specific
human values that designers considered for each task, and
visualizing the interplay of these values. We identify
opportunities for further research, using the Ethicograph method
to illustrate value discovery and translation into design
solutions.
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai
Ethical Mediation in UX Practice Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '19, ACM Press, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research
@inproceedings{Gray2019-ep,
title = {Ethical Mediation in UX Practice},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300408},
doi = {10.1145/3290605.3300408},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems - CHI '19},
publisher = {ACM Press},
abstract = {HCI scholars have become increasingly interested in describing
the complex nature of UX practice. In parallel, HCI and STS
scholars have sought to describe the ethical and value- laden
relationship between designers and design outcomes. However,
little research describes the ethical engagement of UX
practitioners as a form of design complexity, including the
multiple mediating factors that impact ethical awareness and
decision-making. In this paper, we use a practice-led approach
to describe ethical complexity, presenting three varied cases of
UX practitioners based on in situ observations and interviews.
In each case, we describe salient factors relating to ethical
mediation, including organizational practices, self-driven
ethical principles, and unique characteristics of specific
projects the practitioner is engaged in. Using the concept of
mediation from activity theory, we provide a rich account of
practitioners' ethical decision making. We pro- pose future work
on ethical awareness and design education based on the concept
of ethical mediation.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
HCI scholars have become increasingly interested in describing
the complex nature of UX practice. In parallel, HCI and STS
scholars have sought to describe the ethical and value- laden
relationship between designers and design outcomes. However,
little research describes the ethical engagement of UX
practitioners as a form of design complexity, including the
multiple mediating factors that impact ethical awareness and
decision-making. In this paper, we use a practice-led approach
to describe ethical complexity, presenting three varied cases of
UX practitioners based on in situ observations and interviews.
In each case, we describe salient factors relating to ethical
mediation, including organizational practices, self-driven
ethical principles, and unique characteristics of specific
projects the practitioner is engaged in. Using the concept of
mediation from activity theory, we provide a rich account of
practitioners' ethical decision making. We pro- pose future work
on ethical awareness and design education based on the concept
of ethical mediation.
the complex nature of UX practice. In parallel, HCI and STS
scholars have sought to describe the ethical and value- laden
relationship between designers and design outcomes. However,
little research describes the ethical engagement of UX
practitioners as a form of design complexity, including the
multiple mediating factors that impact ethical awareness and
decision-making. In this paper, we use a practice-led approach
to describe ethical complexity, presenting three varied cases of
UX practitioners based on in situ observations and interviews.
In each case, we describe salient factors relating to ethical
mediation, including organizational practices, self-driven
ethical principles, and unique characteristics of specific
projects the practitioner is engaged in. Using the concept of
mediation from activity theory, we provide a rich account of
practitioners' ethical decision making. We pro- pose future work
on ethical awareness and design education based on the concept
of ethical mediation.
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai
Engaging Design Students in Value Discovery as "Everyday Ethicists" Proceedings Article
In: Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences, pp. 187–189, AIGA Design Educators Community, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Design Education, Ethics and Values, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Gray2019-ez,
title = {Engaging Design Students in Value Discovery as "Everyday Ethicists"},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11688977},
doi = {10.3998/mpub.11688977},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
booktitle = {Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences},
volume = {(Decipher, Vol. 1)},
pages = {187--189},
publisher = {AIGA Design Educators Community},
abstract = {In creating the not-yet-existing, the designer takes on a
substantial weight of responsibility not only for the present
use of a designed artifact or experience but also the
potential futures that these artifacts or experiences may
potentially embody. In this way, design activity can be viewed
as always already being linked to social change, mediated
through the character of the designer. In this conversation,
we seek to explore how design activity—in particular, the
education of designers—might celebrate this ethical
responsibility as a form of activism that inherently
celebrates and embodies a certain set of social values while
simultaneously excluding other possible social values. We
advocate for a repositioning of the role of values and ethics
in relation to design activity, seeing ethical concerns not as
a constraint or barrier to action but rather as a generative
driver of design concepts through the process of value
discovery.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Design Education, Ethics and Values, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In creating the not-yet-existing, the designer takes on a
substantial weight of responsibility not only for the present
use of a designed artifact or experience but also the
potential futures that these artifacts or experiences may
potentially embody. In this way, design activity can be viewed
as always already being linked to social change, mediated
through the character of the designer. In this conversation,
we seek to explore how design activity—in particular, the
education of designers—might celebrate this ethical
responsibility as a form of activism that inherently
celebrates and embodies a certain set of social values while
simultaneously excluding other possible social values. We
advocate for a repositioning of the role of values and ethics
in relation to design activity, seeing ethical concerns not as
a constraint or barrier to action but rather as a generative
driver of design concepts through the process of value
discovery.
substantial weight of responsibility not only for the present
use of a designed artifact or experience but also the
potential futures that these artifacts or experiences may
potentially embody. In this way, design activity can be viewed
as always already being linked to social change, mediated
through the character of the designer. In this conversation,
we seek to explore how design activity—in particular, the
education of designers—might celebrate this ethical
responsibility as a form of activism that inherently
celebrates and embodies a certain set of social values while
simultaneously excluding other possible social values. We
advocate for a repositioning of the role of values and ethics
in relation to design activity, seeing ethical concerns not as
a constraint or barrier to action but rather as a generative
driver of design concepts through the process of value
discovery.
2018
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Brier, Jason A; Gray, Colin M
Dark Intentions or Persuasion?: UX Designers' Activation of Stakeholder and User Values Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems, pp. 87–91, ACM, Hong Kong, China, 2018, ISBN: 9781450356312.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values
@inproceedings{Chivukula2018-hz,
title = {Dark Intentions or Persuasion?: UX Designers' Activation of Stakeholder and User Values},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Jason A Brier and Colin M Gray},
url = {http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3197391.3205417},
doi = {10.1145/3197391.3205417},
isbn = {9781450356312},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-05-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems},
pages = {87--91},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Hong Kong, China},
series = {DIS '18 Companion},
abstract = {Formalized frameworks that reference ethics and values
have received increasing attention in the HCI community.
These methods emphasize the importance of values in
relation to design but provide little guidance to reveal
the values that are present or have impact on designers'
decision making. In this work-inprogress, we identify the
values considered by student UX designers when conducting
an authentic design task, allowing for interrogation of
the possible intentions that underlie their decision
making. Our exploratory analysis revealed that
participants had sensitivity towards user values, but
often contradicted these values through dark, often tacit,
intentions to persuade users, thereby achieving
stakeholder goals. We provide provocations for future
research on the role of ethics and values in practice and
design education.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Formalized frameworks that reference ethics and values
have received increasing attention in the HCI community.
These methods emphasize the importance of values in
relation to design but provide little guidance to reveal
the values that are present or have impact on designers'
decision making. In this work-inprogress, we identify the
values considered by student UX designers when conducting
an authentic design task, allowing for interrogation of
the possible intentions that underlie their decision
making. Our exploratory analysis revealed that
participants had sensitivity towards user values, but
often contradicted these values through dark, often tacit,
intentions to persuade users, thereby achieving
stakeholder goals. We provide provocations for future
research on the role of ethics and values in practice and
design education.
have received increasing attention in the HCI community.
These methods emphasize the importance of values in
relation to design but provide little guidance to reveal
the values that are present or have impact on designers'
decision making. In this work-inprogress, we identify the
values considered by student UX designers when conducting
an authentic design task, allowing for interrogation of
the possible intentions that underlie their decision
making. Our exploratory analysis revealed that
participants had sensitivity towards user values, but
often contradicted these values through dark, often tacit,
intentions to persuade users, thereby achieving
stakeholder goals. We provide provocations for future
research on the role of ethics and values in practice and
design education.
Fansher, Madison; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Gray, Colin M
#darkpatterns: UX Practitioner Conversations About Ethical Design Proceedings Article
In: Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. LBW082, ACM, Montreal QC, Canada, 2018, ISBN: 9781450356213.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Fansher2018-au,
title = {#darkpatterns: UX Practitioner Conversations About Ethical Design},
author = {Madison Fansher and Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Colin M Gray},
url = {http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3170427.3188553},
doi = {10.1145/3170427.3188553},
isbn = {9781450356213},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-04-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
pages = {LBW082},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Montreal QC, Canada},
abstract = {There is increasing interest in the role that ethics plays
in UX practice, however current guidance is largely driven
by formalized frameworks and does not adequately describe
``on the ground'' practitioner conversations regarding
ethics. In this late-breaking work, we identified and
described conversations about a specific ethical
phenomenon on Twitter using the hashtag #darkpatterns. We
then determined the authors of these tweets and analyzed
the types of artifacts or links they shared. We found that
UX practitioners were most likely to share tweets with
this hashtag, and that a majority of tweets either
mentioned an artifact or ``shames'' an organization that
engages in manipulative UX practices. We identify
implications for building an enhanced understanding of
pragmatist ethics from a practitioner perspective.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
There is increasing interest in the role that ethics plays
in UX practice, however current guidance is largely driven
by formalized frameworks and does not adequately describe
``on the ground'' practitioner conversations regarding
ethics. In this late-breaking work, we identified and
described conversations about a specific ethical
phenomenon on Twitter using the hashtag #darkpatterns. We
then determined the authors of these tweets and analyzed
the types of artifacts or links they shared. We found that
UX practitioners were most likely to share tweets with
this hashtag, and that a majority of tweets either
mentioned an artifact or ``shames'' an organization that
engages in manipulative UX practices. We identify
implications for building an enhanced understanding of
pragmatist ethics from a practitioner perspective.
in UX practice, however current guidance is largely driven
by formalized frameworks and does not adequately describe
``on the ground'' practitioner conversations regarding
ethics. In this late-breaking work, we identified and
described conversations about a specific ethical
phenomenon on Twitter using the hashtag #darkpatterns. We
then determined the authors of these tweets and analyzed
the types of artifacts or links they shared. We found that
UX practitioners were most likely to share tweets with
this hashtag, and that a majority of tweets either
mentioned an artifact or ``shames'' an organization that
engages in manipulative UX practices. We identify
implications for building an enhanced understanding of
pragmatist ethics from a practitioner perspective.
Gray, Colin M; Kou, Yubo; Battles, Bryan; Hoggatt, Joseph; Toombs, Austin L
The Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 534:1–534:14, ACM, Montreal QC, Canada, 2018, ISBN: 9781450356206.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2018-or,
title = {The Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design},
author = {Colin M Gray and Yubo Kou and Bryan Battles and Joseph Hoggatt and Austin L Toombs},
url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/3173574.3174108},
doi = {10.1145/3173574.3174108},
isbn = {9781450356206},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems},
pages = {534:1--534:14},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Montreal QC, Canada},
institution = {ACM},
series = {CHI '18},
abstract = {Interest in critical scholarship that engages with the
complexity of user experience (UX) practice is rapidly
expanding, yet the vocabulary for describing and assessing
criticality in practice is currently lacking. In this paper,
we outline and explore the limits of a specific ethical
phenomenon known as ``dark patterns,'' where user value is
supplanted in favor of shareholder value. We assembled a
corpus of examples of practitioner-identified dark patterns
and performed a content analysis to determine the ethical
concerns contained in these examples. This analysis revealed a
wide range of ethical issues raised by practitioners that were
frequently conflated under the umbrella term of dark patterns,
while also underscoring a shared concern that UX designers
could easily become complicit in manipulative or unreasonably
persuasive practices. We conclude with implications for the
education and practice of UX designers, and a proposal for
broadening research on the ethics of user experience.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Interest in critical scholarship that engages with the
complexity of user experience (UX) practice is rapidly
expanding, yet the vocabulary for describing and assessing
criticality in practice is currently lacking. In this paper,
we outline and explore the limits of a specific ethical
phenomenon known as ``dark patterns,'' where user value is
supplanted in favor of shareholder value. We assembled a
corpus of examples of practitioner-identified dark patterns
and performed a content analysis to determine the ethical
concerns contained in these examples. This analysis revealed a
wide range of ethical issues raised by practitioners that were
frequently conflated under the umbrella term of dark patterns,
while also underscoring a shared concern that UX designers
could easily become complicit in manipulative or unreasonably
persuasive practices. We conclude with implications for the
education and practice of UX designers, and a proposal for
broadening research on the ethics of user experience.
complexity of user experience (UX) practice is rapidly
expanding, yet the vocabulary for describing and assessing
criticality in practice is currently lacking. In this paper,
we outline and explore the limits of a specific ethical
phenomenon known as ``dark patterns,'' where user value is
supplanted in favor of shareholder value. We assembled a
corpus of examples of practitioner-identified dark patterns
and performed a content analysis to determine the ethical
concerns contained in these examples. This analysis revealed a
wide range of ethical issues raised by practitioners that were
frequently conflated under the umbrella term of dark patterns,
while also underscoring a shared concern that UX designers
could easily become complicit in manipulative or unreasonably
persuasive practices. We conclude with implications for the
education and practice of UX designers, and a proposal for
broadening research on the ethics of user experience.