Inyerface was beyond frustrating and laughable at times. However, it was only laughable because it wasn’t real, nor was I trying to accomplish anything of importance. However, after reading Brignull (2011), I realized the many times I have skimmed through various details and have missed a lot of information (some of which I did not even realize until it was too late).
As I was “playing around” with Inyerface, I couldn’t help but think of my dad and my mother in law. The frustration of my dad when he cannot access a particular site or information and my mother in law who recently called us because her daughter was in trouble and some Nigerian prince was able to help for a price. Brigall (2011) showcased that we are all being duped; from the tech savvy to the tech novices.
In the end, it’s all about profit, and it has been for many years (Mashable Brand X., 2014). The more knowledge we have and the better we understand, perhaps companies may make less profit (Brigall, 2011). Harris (2017) suggests that if we recognize that we are persuadable, if companies aim to be more accountable and are transparent, then we can more comfortably navigate. Brignull (2011) highlights the company of hotels.com who “redesigned the site to use a more honest interface”, and has since won awards for its more honest customer service. The company was honest and transparent and consumers appreciated this, in the end, hotels.com won because they were more profitable.
Inyerface led to frustration and annoyance and I just shut it down. Too much to read or too many graphics becomes overwhelming (although that is the point Brignall, 2011). However, a site that is honest and transparent is refreshing (we don’t see this often). I would also add that sites which are simple are key in user friendliness . Brignall (2011) describes that “blinkered and overzealous A/B testing may actually be causing the web to evolve toward dark patterns”, causing confusion and being trapped into whatever dark pattern the site is consciously (or unconsciously) attempting. Transparency and honesty are important, but I would also add, simplicity is important too.
One key take away was, now I know, I hope to do better. After this week’s readings, I have a greater knowledge to make better decisions. However, as an educator (and a parent) I consider the education of our youth in making educated and thoughtful decisions when exploring the web and games (especially those that are free). Kernaghan (2021) describes that “education is the best tool against the proliferation of unethical advertising using dark UX practices. Having a chat with your children, and helping them distinguish the facts helps. Supervision and limited time on devices can go a long way until the industry agrees that these dark patterns are doing harm. If users want to continue to download “free” apps, then they have to be prepared to pay in non-monetary forms”. You can find more details on this article here.
More education for users; young, old, tech savvy or not, more transparency, honesty and simplicity amongst sites, are key to better navigate and understand (and possibly overcoming) dark patterns.
References
Brignull, H. (2011). Dark patterns: Deception vs. honesty in UI design. A List Apart, 338.
Harris, T. (2017). How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day. TED.
Kernaghan, C. (March 19, 2021). The dark UX patterns targeting children: And how in-app advertising proliferated during the pandemic. UX Collective. https://uxdesign.cc/the-dark-ux-patterns-targeting-children-6c6cb1f0624d
Mashable Brand X. (2014, October 3). The history of advertising in 60 seconds. YouTube
