ethics in design

Ethics in Design

WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE AND WHO IS TO DRAW IT?

burcuarsoy@gmail.com

Burcu Arsoy

IxDA Malmö 31.03.2017

Senior User Experience Designer @ Designit CPH

BURCUMy name is

DESIGNER

I am a

FACILITATOR

DOER

LEARNER

OBSERVER

EVER EXPANDING WORLD OF DESIGN

Complexity in ethics

Scale of abstraction

Digital interfaces

Services

Innovation

• Do you think it creates a better world?

• To who?

• How?

• Why?

SOME QUESTIONS FOR MORALITY TEST

UX DARK PATTERNS

In digital interfaces

Digital interfaces

• More clicks

• Sign-ups

• Personal information

• Sales

WHY DARK PATTERNS ARE USED

1. Forced continuity: Cancel at any time during the free period

2. Misdirection: The design focuses your attention on one thing in order to distract your

attention from another.

3. Roach motel: Easy to get in. hard to get out

4. Hidden costs: Nice little add-ups to the initial price offered to you

5. Disguised adds: Download buttons opening up all irrelevant advertisement pages.

6. Bait and switch: The user sets out to do one thing, but a different, undesirable thing

happens instead.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF DARK PATTERNS

7. Friend spam: The product asks for your email or social media permissions stating that

it will be used for a desirable outcome (e.g. finding friends), but then spams all your

contacts in a message that claims to be from you.

8. Price comparison prevention: The retailer makes it hard for you to compare the

price of an item with another item, so you cannot make an informed decision.

9. Sneak into Basket: You attempt to purchase something, but somewhere in the

purchasing journey the site sneaks an additional item into your basket, often through the

use of an opt-out radio button or checkbox on a prior page.

10. Trick Questions: You respond to a question, which, when glanced upon quickly

appears to ask one thing, but if read carefully, asks another thing entirely.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF DARK PATTERNS

Misdirection

The design purposefully focuses your attention on one thing in order to distract your attention from another. Most Dark Patterns use this trick in some way.

Seen mostly in

low-cost airlines’ booking systems and games

Usually achieved by

• showing optional options as obligatory

• hiding the option to skip a step to the bottom of a

web page

• playing with the button styles -using primary CTA

button style for up-sell

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

Does not end here. There is also a returning flight which is through a connecting flight

Great, now I selected my seat.

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

Wow, I’m charged for both flights

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

even more questions and options to add.

pff where is the continue button????

Oh, there we go. At the bottom of the page!

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

It added up too much. I want to cancel my seat reservation. Hope I can do it here.

Guess, just need to click on the plus icon!

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

NOPE!! I can’t cancel it.

Do I have to go all the way back?? Already spent too much time.

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

in case you go back in the form, this is the only way to deselect the seat.

The button seems pretty inactive, right? Almost impossible!

But how do you skip selecting a seat option in the first place?

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

first time you’re prompted this screen, you scroll all the way down and try clicking ‘Continue’ ?

But how do you skip selecting a seat option in the first place?

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

Cancel does not move you forward, you stay on the same page.

OK, redirects you to select seat screen for your return flight. Not that easy to get out of it.

But how do you skip selecting a seat option in the first place?

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

You should have clicked this seemingly unimportant button at the very bottom of the page to get out of this super dark pattern

• Be fully awake (not even tipsy) • Keep your eyes on the target

NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO BOOK A FLIGHT

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

You are asked to click on the green button throughout the game. It is the primary action button style you learn.

When you lose a round, the alert for in-app purchase to buy more moves is also displayed with the same style.

Our brain is hardwired to click on it.

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

They redeem themselves a bit on the next screen because ‘Cancel’ button is prominently displayed for not to move forward due to an accidental click on ‘Buy moves’ button.

Forced continuity

A user signs up for a free trial of a service, but is asked for credit card details up front. Once the trial period is over, the customer is automatically billed. The user is not notified beforehand and some make it difficult to cancel.

Seen mostly in

all kinds of digital services

Usually achieved by

• unclear/deceptive communication when signing up

• hidden cancel subscription buttons OR complicated

processes

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > FORCED CONTINUITY

Example

UX DARK PATTERNS > FORCED CONTINUITY

GENERALIZING APPROACH

In services

Services

• Based on biases • Trivialising and paternalistic • Snarky tone

BUT

• Behaviour change is psychological and emotions are involved

ALGORITHMIC DECISION MAKING

In innovation

Innovation

MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

• Do you think it creates a better world? • To who? • How? • Why?

RETHINK THE EARLIER QUESTIONS

• Do you think it creates a better world? • To who? • How? • Why?

• Is someone's good someone else's bad?

RETHINK THE EARLIER QUESTIONS

Is someone's good someone else's bad?

RIDERS

UBER DRIVERS

OTHER TAXI DRIVERS

DESIGN IS A COMPLEX ACTIVITY

business

humans

Users’ needs and wants

Companies interests

functionality efficiency

desirability

profit reputation

Designer’s wishes and own taste

DEGREE OF COMPROMISE

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Be aware that you’re influencing the user and always use good judgement

1

Advocate the benefits of user-centred design TIRELESSLY

2

Educate your coworkers and your clients TIRELESSLY

3

Remember you are not authority, you are the facilitator

4

Ethics can’t be a side hustle

Mike Monteiro

Exponential growth devours and corrupts

DHH

Design, White Lies & Ethics

Dan Turner

The ethics of good design: A principle for the connected age

Aaron Weyenberg

FURTHER READING

THANK YOU

burcuarsoy@gmail.com

Burcu Arsoy