If this wasn’t deemed the most frustrating game ever- I’m not sure what is. The first time I attempted User Inyerface (the title truly sums up this game), I wasn’t even sure if I could get past the first screen. After that, I kept telling myself, ‘this can’t be this hard’; however, I decided it was probably in my best interest to close my computer and try again later.
On the first game screen, you are automatically required to rework your brain to not think along the usual lines of website interfaces. There is a massive ‘No’ green button and unclear directions on moving forward to the next screen. After clicking on random words at the bottom (because none of them genuinely seemed to work), I somehow arrived on the second page, only to find out my random password does not meet the insane criteria they are asking for. With this, I am back to square one. To top it all off – a random countdown (or was it counting up?) clock appeared, and I could not figure out how to close the screen. After clicking random buttons, angrily yelling at my computer and my husband asking me ten times’ what is the purpose of this game?!”, I persevered and somehow managed to complete the game. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Before this task, I hadn’t heard of “Dark Patterns” before and was fascinated reading the article by Brignull (2010). Brignull (2020) shared the intricacies around the daily interaction of deceptive user interfaces on websites. Brignull (2010) provided an example that made me rethink my interaction online when booking travel: when hotel.com changed its user interface to show all costs & fees upfront. One of the most frustrating things about booking hotels or Airbnb’s online is when everything isn’t worked into your cost. Your advertised $150 a night hotel turns into $800 with cleaning fees and additional charges. As Brignull (2010) mentions that “Removing dark patterns from any site involves a leap of faith. A company has to shift from a short-term quantitative measurement mindset to one that values relatively slow, steady growth of “warm fuzzy” qualitative things like brand image, credibility, and trust.” However, from a consumer perspective, I feel there should be more regulations surrounding how larger companies or corporations bill and regulate their billing for their customers. Moving forward, I’ll be able to keep my eyes open for companies that have shifted toward a more upfront booking model and make more conscious decisions for my purchases.