The Challenge

Attempt to defeat the userinyerface.com game while observing how one’s attention and sense of direction can be influenced or discouraged through interface design.

My (Frustrating) User Experience

Final Thoughts

It was a bothersome but also enlightening experience to observe deliberate dark patterns in action (Brignull, 2011). After experiencing userinyerface.com I have become more sensitive to noticing persuasions and influences throughout my time online. It seems that the popups of the nineties have been replaced with soft ads, much like subliminal messaging, that persuades us to shop, travel, and eat based on the data we reveal in the process of using digital texts.

As mentioned in my video reflection, I think userinyerface.com would be a great instigator of critical thinking and discussion among my students about digital persuasion. Another common resource I use for teaching students about digital technology is an episode of CBC’s Marketplace  (see below) that exposes many of the dangers that our smartphones can expose us to. The dark patterns within smartphone apps are another level of deception that holds very relevant to my students who are not yet experienced enough to know the importance of keeping personal data private and can be taken advantage of. (Brignull, 2011)

Privacy and smartphone apps: What data your phone may be giving away (CBC Marketplace)

Reference

CBC News. (2017, January 6). Privacy and smartphone apps: What data your phone may be giving away (CBC Marketplace) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx1AUupLn2w

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