Defense Against the Dark Patterns

We’ve all fallen victim to deceptive design at some point—whether it was that time we struggled to unsubscribe from a service we didn’t want anymore, or when accidentally clicking on that pop-up ad led us down a rabbit hole of frustration.
From the simply annoying to the outright egregious, dark patterns intentionally trick us into doing things we don’t really want to do.
But what makes these pesky patterns so effective in the first place? And how can we wield our influence as UXers to make the web—and, as a result, the world—a slightly better place?

Our speaker will shine some light on the ethics of dark patterns, how we as users can avoid and detect the pitfalls of this malpractice, and what we can do as designers to take a stand again dark patterns when pressured by our companies. Finally, we’ll look into how else those business objectives can be met through more acceptable patterns.

This talk is intended for participants with a basic understanding of the user experience disciplines who are keen to explore the frontiers of the user-centered design and the ethics of nudging designs.

Takeaways
-A definition of UX dark patterns.
-The ethics conundrum they create for the designer in charge of implementing them.
-The difficulties that standing for the user sometimes creates for the designer.
-How else can tricky business objectives be met through more acceptable patterns.

Preparation
-This event is taken completely online via Zoom.
-You will need access to a laptop or computer with a strong internet connection.
-Event setup information will be emailed to all signed up prior to the event.