I must admit that my time of 7:34 is not accurate as it was my 3rd attempt to play the game. Realistically, it took me a good 15 minutes. As I navigated through this game, I became more aware of how the user face was trying to deceive me and I caught on to what Brignull calls, “dark patterns,” (Brignull, 2011). I started to actively look for double negatives, small print, word play, and bolded words. I did feel a sense of urgency as the “lock box” kept appearing reminding me of my time. I could see the time ticking which made me move more quickly, and therefore more carelessly, through the next steps. Once I figured out how to close the “lock box” (small print in the bottom left that looked like a copyright symbol), it didn’t influence me as much. The two dark patterns (Brignull, 2011) that really frustrated me were the double negative and the play on words with the check boxes. Near the beginning you are asked to create a password and an email. That was no problem, however, the double negative “I do not accept the Terms & Conditions” took me a bit to recognize. I kept the box checked off and went through the Terms & Conditions to ‘agree’ to them… but I keep getting stuck.  After some time, I realized it was a double negative and was very frustrated with myself for missing it. It just goes to show that my brain has been trained to just automatically check off that box. The second dark pattern (2011) to stump me was the play on words for the check boxes. “To prove you are a human, check off the boxes with a bow.” This is easier said than done when the boxes all either have a person bowing, bow ties, or bow and arrow. I had to ask myself what they might be looking for. Another option was to check off the boxes with light and the pictures included images of fire, lightbulbs, but also objects that are lightweight. I was very frustrated! It took me several attempts to get it right. Overall, I can see how easily manipulated a user can be when presented with the dark patterns (2011) marketing companies. 

Reference:

Brignull, H. (2011). Dark Patterns: Deception vs. Honesty in UI Design. Interaction Design, Usability, 338.