Time for #devdiscuss
Tonight's topic is Dark Patterns 😈
- What are some examples of dark patterns?
- What influences the proliferation of dark patterns?
- Are dark patterns cross-domain or more of a web thing?
- How have you reacted when asked to implement a dark pattern?
A dark pattern is "a user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things, such as buying insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills."
— https://t.co/yg111dZLzq#DevDiscuss
I've implemented UI that could be considered dark patterns before. It's usually the result of a/b testing gone awry.
You throw things at the wall as experiments and pick the winners without being conscientious enough along the way.
Try to avoid doing this #DevDiscuss
Forcing users to signup to get access to a resource without giving them the ability to unsubscribe is a dark pattern I see far too often. My approach: report as spam. #DevDiscuss
This doesn't really even have to be a development thing. This can be as simple as "have four checkboxes that enable different types of newsletters, and the fifth is inverted so that it DISABLES a newsletter"
#devdiscuss
That is SO unethical! ugh. I know it's a "valid" marketing technique, to give freebies, but it always feels weird to me to lure them in and get a false positive.
#DevDiscuss
Forcing users to signup to get access to a resource without giving them the ability to unsubscribe is a dark pattern I see far too often. My approach: report as spam. #DevDiscuss
In the e-learning space I see a ton of Bait and Switch patterns. Go read this awesome article that actually takes you to a 200 character article with 17 email sign ups. #DevDiscuss
@AlaskaAir has a spooky dark pattern where it automatically selects travel insurance and checked bags at checkout. If your not paying attention, you pay $$$ for this. #DevDiscuss
Yeah, it's a pretty terrible thing to do because it saturates the space with a lot of non-useful content, thus hiding the useful content from people. #DevDiscuss
Reddit's mobile website is 100% dark patterns all the time. How many times do I have to navigate a tricky UI to keep me away from the native app? Just let me go to the website!
#DevDiscuss
Time for #devdiscuss
Tonight's topic is Dark Patterns 😈
- What are some examples of dark patterns?
- What influences the proliferation of dark patterns?
- Are dark patterns cross-domain or more of a web thing?
- How have you reacted when asked to implement a dark pattern?
The dark pattern that always sticks out to me is switching the orientation of affirmative versus negative response buttons. There is now an accepted pattern and most people click without reading the text on the button. #DevDiscuss
This is probably also a CAN-SPAM or GDPR violation. I've had this happen a lot. A swift report of what's going on the to FTC is your best friend :) #DevDiscuss
Wait I thought we were connected on LinkedIn? I thought that meant that you subscribed to my newsletter....
#DevDiscuss
(btw this is sarcasm in case it wasn't clear)
One example of dark patterns I know is signup shaming ("do you want to join this newsletter about this fun topic? Yes/No, I'm a party pooper"). Also trying too hard to get you to Get The App that provides identical experience to the mobile site but without tabs
#DevDiscuss
We tend to identify explicitly deceptive GUI tactics as dark patterns, but keep in mind that no technology is neutral. You can design the most straightforward and intuitive interface possible for a product that compromises users' rights. #DevDiscuss
Dark patterns are totally a cross-domain thing in my opinion. Wasn't there a lawsuit a while back where in-app purchases were being hidden in Android games that were tricking users. Anyone have that link? #DevDiscuss
Not sure if this counts as a dark pattern but any site that integrates ads into their main browsing UI without any obvious signifier. Especially when clicking it takes me to a third party site instead of clicking an article or whatever else I’d expect to be linked to #DevDiscuss
Other non-tech/web dark patterns: random LinkedIn requests from folks trying to sell me their new DevOps tool/service. Please stop, if I have never spoke/written a single word to you, we are not connecting. #DevDiscuss
The LinkedIn "add all these connections" that's auto selected and the "no" button that's grey is soooo bad. Especially on a professional platform.
#DevDiscuss
Time for #devdiscuss
Tonight's topic is Dark Patterns 😈
- What are some examples of dark patterns?
- What influences the proliferation of dark patterns?
- Are dark patterns cross-domain or more of a web thing?
- How have you reacted when asked to implement a dark pattern?
Another cross domain, games.
They subscriptions, ads, frustration that can only be solved by payments.
I consider most of those dark patterns as well.
#devdiscuss
I was on a clothing site with the signup shame being something along the lines of “No I’m an ugly slob”
Is this really how you want to run your business? #DevDiscuss
One example of dark patterns I know is signup shaming ("do you want to join this newsletter about this fun topic? Yes/No, I'm a party pooper"). Also trying too hard to get you to Get The App that provides identical experience to the mobile site but without tabs
#DevDiscuss
I get messages from recruiters trying to solicit me for roles in technologies I only have a few months of experience with and it's like.... No... #devdiscuss
And sometimes ease of use “features” end up being dark patterns in practice. Like the kids who were able to rack up thousands of dollars in mobile purchases because their parents stayed payment authorized for 20 min or whatever it was. #DevDiscuss
Totally -- so much LinkedIn spam that it's almost impossible to use. No I don't want to be a Junior Java developer and no I don't want to work for free for your startup. #DevDiscuss
I used to sell cars. Lots of dark patterns there to get you in the door.
Prizes, giveaways, etc. None of them really good, just enough to get you to come in and buy. #DevDiscuss
The ones designed to make you feel bad about yourself instead of your actions are particularly bad. I.e. “no I’m a slob” or “no I’m ok with my boring life”. #DevDiscuss
I worked as a telephone survey caller. My job was to get you to take some stupid credit card survey.
All dark patterns all the time. Basically everything I’d say to try to get you to take the survey was a subtle lie. #DevDiscuss
I used to sell cars. Lots of dark patterns there to get you in the door.
Prizes, giveaways, etc. None of them really good, just enough to get you to come in and buy. #DevDiscuss
Time for #devdiscuss
Tonight's topic is Dark Patterns 😈
- What are some examples of dark patterns?
- What influences the proliferation of dark patterns?
- Are dark patterns cross-domain or more of a web thing?
- How have you reacted when asked to implement a dark pattern?
The junior position stuff kills me. And it sucks because junior shouldn’t be a dirty word! We’re all junior when we’re always learning. But it makes you feel like your years of experience still aren’t good enough...when reality they haven’t read your profile 😂 #DevDiscuss
The Credit Karma app hits you up front with a “marketplace” full of offers to get you in serious debt.
You are prequalified for a 30% interest loan with OneMain!
The. Worst.
#devdiscuss
Predatory Lending is THE WORST. To make it worse, a lot of those loans go to people who are more broke, dragging them deeper in the whole.
This is why credit scores are broken algorithms IMO.
#DevDiscuss
The Credit Karma app hits you up front with a “marketplace” full of offers to get you in serious debt.
You are prequalified for a 30% interest loan with OneMain!
The. Worst.
#devdiscuss
That’s a generic dark pattern! Positive meaning sites who need money to stay afloat so they get ads or funding from relevant areas that end up being the very thing they’re trying to undo/keep people away from. #DevDiscuss
I’m not sure. I’ve seen this with the tech recruiting sites too. They know recruiting is broken but lean into it so they can get a market share and change it from the inside. It’s a sticky balance. #DevDiscuss
Dark Patterns:
All the credit reporting agencies. Even if you choose to not open a credit card, take out a loan, they still have all your info. If they are hacked, (never happens...), then you're vulnerable even though you never participated.
#DevDiscuss
If you put credit monitoring on an account because of hacks it can be considered suspicious and needs to be explained when you apply for other credit 🤦🏻♀️ #DevDiscuss
"a million computers try and guess the secret number and shout their answers at each other and the first one to guess right gets a prize and we do this over and over forever and thats an economy" — the ComputerCoin specification
They do a few things, the worst is when they give you a big pop up that says CONTINUE, which takes you to the app, and a tiny greyed-out link that actually lets you continue to the site.
Really obnoxious #DevDiscuss
I don’t really love the phrase dark patterns. It’s really just treating customers in unethical/dishonest/hostile ways, which you can do with/without a computer. #Devdiscuss
Here is another one. Sites that have dubious ways to make money have less ads then the one that need the ads to survive. So people are less likely to visit the genuine sites. Journalism/news has suffered from this a lot. #DevDiscuss
yeah -- I've worked mostly on internal apps, would be incredible to add dark patterns to apps that only co-workers or students use though hahha #DevDiscuss
Fake out cancel X! An image overlay to close a window that actually opens a pop up ad. When in reality the way to close the window is only viewable on hover for some period of time. #DevDiscuss
Not sure if this counts as those things, but I started a youtube channel aiming to cover some developer topics and hopefully, eventually help people build some applications: https://t.co/4vITO1MAY3
🤷♂️
#DevDiscuss
To celebrate Halloween tomorrow everyone can use the code halloween18 for 50% off any package of my Learn AWS By Using it course! Not a dark pattern, just want to help jumpstart anybody looking to learn AWS. Happy early Halloween 🎃 https://t.co/10z3dHi2Hp#DevDiscuss
Auto selected check boxes on software installers that include another software in the installation (E.g: Toolbars for browsers).
My mom sends me photos of the installation process every time she downloads an application to help her avoid installing anything extra 😅 #DevDiscuss
