The document discusses the ethical considerations in design, particularly focusing on digital interfaces and the use of 'dark patterns' that manipulate user behavior. It highlights various types of dark patterns such as misdirection, forced continuity, and others that can negatively impact user experience by making it difficult to navigate or cancel services. The author emphasizes the importance of ethical design practices and the responsibility of designers to prioritize user-centered design over profit-driven motives.

1. 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

2. BURCU
My name is

3. DESIGNER
I am a
FACILITATOR
DOER
LEARNER
OBSERVER

9. EVER EXPANDING
WORLD OF DESIGN

10. Complexity
in ethics
Scale of abstraction
Digital interfaces
Services
Innovation

11. • Do you think it creates a better world?
• To who?
• How?
• Why?
SOME QUESTIONS FOR MORALITY TEST

13. UX DARK
PATTERNS
In digital interfaces
Digital interfaces

14. • More clicks
• Sign-ups
• Personal information
• Sales
WHY DARK PATTERNS ARE USED

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Example
UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

19. Example
UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

20. Example
UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION

21. 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.

22. Example
UX DARK PATTERNS > MISDIRECTION
Wow, I’m charged for
both flights

23. 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!

24. 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!

25. 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.

26. 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!

27. 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’ ?

28. 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.

29. 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

30. • Be fully awake (not even tipsy)
• Keep your eyes on the target
NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO BOOK A FLIGHT

31. 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.

32. 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.

33. 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

34. Example
UX DARK PATTERNS > FORCED CONTINUITY

35. Example
UX DARK PATTERNS > FORCED CONTINUITY

36. GENERALIZING
APPROACH
In services
Services

37. • Based on biases
• Trivialising and paternalistic
• Snarky tone
BUT
• Behaviour change is psychological and emotions are involved
ALGORITHMIC DECISION MAKING

41. In innovation
Innovation
MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES

42. • Do you think it creates a better world?
• To who?
• How?
• Why?
RETHINK THE EARLIER QUESTIONS

43. • Do you think it creates a better world?
• To who?
• How?
• Why?
• Is someone's good someone else's bad?
RETHINK THE EARLIER QUESTIONS

47. Is someone's good someone else's bad?
RIDERS
UBER DRIVERS
OTHER TAXI DRIVERS

52. DESIGN IS A
COMPLEX
ACTIVITY

53. business
humans
Users’ needs and wants
Companies interests
functionality
efficiency
desirability
profit
reputation
Designer’s wishes
and own taste
DEGREE OF COMPROMISE

54. WHAT YOU CAN DO

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

56. Advocate the benefits of
user-centred design TIRELESSLY

57. Educate your coworkers and
your clients TIRELESSLY

58. Remember you are not authority,
you are the facilitator

59. 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

60. THANK YOU
burcuarsoy@gmail.com
Burcu Arsoy