Dark Patterns in Site Design


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2022-12-05

Dark Patterns in Site Design

Kerstin Bongard-Blanchy, a Research Associate at the University of Luxembourg, joins us today. Kerstin’s research focuses on human-computer interaction, particularly manipulative interface designs. She discusses the activities of dark patterns in website designs.

Kerstin started by sharing what it means to be manipulated through designs — a term called dark patterns. She further explained the possibility of differentiating subtle manipulative designs and obvious manipulation. Kerstin discussed how she scraped data for her study. She shared real examples of dark patterns she discovered on web pages. From her survey results, she also discussed whether these patterns can be detected by the average user.

Kerstin then shared the reactions of her survey participants, after explaining what dark patterns in websites are about. She got a couple of diverging responses. She also spoke on the legalities of dark patterns in today’s society. She shared her thoughts on whether the activities of websites with dark patterns should be regulated.

Delving deeper, Kerstin spoke about the takeaways from her study. She discussed practical ways the effect of dark patterns can be lessened. Amongst other things, she spoke about the need for more education, and the responsibilities of UI/UX designers, regulatory agencies, and data scientists in curbing the spread of dark patterns.

Kerstin belabored the need for more enlightenment on ethics. Wrapping up, Kerstin discussed her new research projects and other study areas she has been working on. You can find out more about Kerstin and her research group here.

Kerstin Bongard-Blanchy

Since graduating from engineering, Kerstin has been going back and forth between the academic and industrial worlds. She holds a Master's degree in Industrial Design from TU Dresden (Germany) and a PhD in Product Design and Innovation from Arts & Métiers ParisTech (France). Preceding and following her PhD, Kerstin worked as a User Experience Designer and Researcher in various companies and cultures, namely Panasonic in Japan, Dassault Systèmes in France, and PXY4 - a start-up on Reunion island. In these jobs, she designed interfaces for home appliances, mobile phones, and software applications. Kerstin recently returned to academia and is currently a researcher associate in the Human-Computer-Interaction group at the University of Luxembourg. Her research revolves around user experiences in the digital world, yet the topic she is most passionate about is manipulative interface designs.