<html><body><p style="text-align:justify;">To many UX designers, the primary goal is to create user interfaces that are intuitive, easy to use, and visually pleasing. The designs should always prioritise usability, accessibility and user satisfaction above anything else. However, there is a growing concern about the use of dark patterns among many UX experts. The word “Dark patterns” (also known as “Deceptive patterns”) was first coined by UX expert Harry Brignull in 2010. They are defined as tricks used in websites or apps that make users do things that they don’t mean to, such as purchasing or signing up for a service. </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">1. Characteristics of Dark Patterns</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">Based on a study conducted by a group of researchers at Princeton University, a taxonomy of dark patterns characteristics was defined, which contains the following dimensions: </p><ul><li style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Asymmetric: </strong>The UI design focuses more on particular choices compared to others.</li><li style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Covert:</strong> The design tries to distract the user and steer them into making an unintended decision.</li><li style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Deceptive:</strong> The design can encourage false beliefs by using affirmative, misleading statements or omissions.</li><li style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Hides information:</strong> The user interface might obscure or delay the presentation of key information.</li><li style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Restrictive:</strong> The UI design can limit the number of choices presented to users.</li></ul><p style="text-align:justify;">Therefore, through exploiting users’ cognitive biases, dark patterns have been able to manipulate users into making unintended decisions that can be potentially harmful in the long term. Next, we will explore some of the most common dark patterns and their impact on users.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">2. Common dark patterns</h2><h3 style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Sneak into Basket</strong></h3><p style="text-align:justify;">This pattern usually appears on online shopping websites while users are committing to purchasing an item. However, at some points of the user journey, additional products would be added to the user’s shopping cart as default without their consent. Sometimes, users might miss these details and purchase the items accidentally if they are not careful. For instance, you can often see this while purchasing flight tickets. The website usually adds in a reservation fee for the seats or travel insurance. </p><h3 style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Roach Motel</strong></h3><p style="text-align:justify;">This dark pattern’s name comes from an American brand of a bait device that catches cockroaches. Similar to a cockroach getting caught in a trap, users can subscribe or register for a service easily but they would find it hard to cancel the subscription or delete their accounts. An example of this is how Amazon users can’t find any information about deleting their account in their profile settings. Instead, they have to visit the Help section on the website, go through several categories until they find out that the only way to delete their account is to contact the customer service. </p><h3 style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Hidden Costs</strong></h3><p style="text-align:justify;">In this case, this dark pattern hides the true cost of a product or service. Usually, it will reveal additional fees right before users are about to make a purchase. For example, Grab users have to bear hidden costs when they order a food delivery. Just before users confirm their order, the app immediately displays applicable fees, often including surcharges for peak hours and rainy weather. The other case is how cheap airlines will charge passengers with extra fees such as tax, security screening service charge, passenger service charge and  administration surcharge. From an initially cheap price, the cost of a flight ticket then goes up significantly. </p><h3 style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Disguised Ads</strong></h3><p style="text-align:justify;">Advertising can be seen everywhere in the digital world and many advertisements are now disguising themselves as interface elements, articles, or a form of content that users might be interested in. They intentionally blur the line between advertisements and actual content, making users more likely to view and click on. A typical example is how social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram make use of how users scroll through their timelines. Disguised ads would be sneaked in as social posts, tricking users to read the content and click on the ads. As a result, these social media platforms have been able to generate a lot of revenue with brands and businesses benefiting from increasing sales. However, this means that users don’t have control over what kind of information they want to see.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><h3 style="text-align:justify;"><strong>False Urgency</strong></h3><p style="text-align:justify;">This dark pattern places users under time pressure to make them have less time to evaluate information critically before making a purchase. You can often see this on e-commerce websites and apps. During a flash sale, the product will show how many items are left in a limited time frame, effectively creating a false belief about the scarcity of resources in online shoppers. In a way, it also deceives users through social proof and the fear of missing out: “Since other people are buying this product, it must be good enough so I should buy it also.”</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">3. Impact of Dark Patterns</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">Dark patterns can have a significant impact on users. Users who feel like they have been tricked or manipulated will have less trust on brands and businesses. They may also be less likely to use these products or services in the future if they have a negative experience. In some cases, dark patterns can even lead to legal action or negative media attention, which damages the reputation of brands and businesses. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">4. Design ethically</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">Instead of just using unethical means to achieve business goals and meet success metrics, we as designers should focus on creating an enjoyable user experience for users while providing a safe environment with credibility. Designers as well as businesses should be aware of negative impacts from dark patterns and evaluate their design decisions critically. They should ask themselves the following questions to make sure the design is ethical:</p><ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Does this design have the user’s best interest in mind?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">If I were the end user, would I feel that I’m being treated honestly?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Could this design pattern damage the company brand’s reputation?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Is this design unlawful?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Or can it cause ethical controversies?</li></ul><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Therefore, a transparent  user experience should be strongly advocated, giving users the power to make their own decisions. Balancing business goals with great user experience can be difficult, but dark patterns should never be the answer.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">5. Conclusion</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">While using dark patterns may seem like the most convenient solution to fulfil  short-term goals, it ultimately affects the user experience negatively and undermines trust of users for the products and brands. Thus, it's important to stay away from dark patterns and instead focus on creating user-centred and transparent designs.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Source: https://saigontechnology.com/blog/the-dark-side-of-ux-design-dark-patterns</p></body></html>

UI/UX designers have always been taught to create digital products that provide a positive and enjoyable user experience. However, to benefit the businesses at the expense of their users, dark patterns have been used by designers to deceive users into taking actions that go against what they actually want.

The dark side of UX design: Dark Patterns

<html><body><p style="text-align:justify;">User experience design is becoming more important in determining the success of products and services in our daily life. From the perspective of businesses, creating a seamless user experience is the key to building customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. This has led to a stronger demand for UI / UX designers who have a highly diverse skill set. Many design-led companies are looking for those who can perform various tasks, from user research to visual design and user testing. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">If you are interested in starting a career in UI / UX design or just simply want to learn more about it, the Google UX Design Certificate is a good start for beginners. Compared to other bootcamps and university degrees, the Google course is more affordable and flexible if you have limited time and financial resources. You can also earn a certificate upon completion, which can be a decent stepping stone for getting into the industry.</p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">1. So what is the Google UX Design Professional Certificate?</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">As the name suggests, the program was developed by Google employees with years of experience in UX design. The course takes approximately 6 months to complete with a suggested pace of 10 hours per week. You will be able to learn basic skills from user research, wireframing, prototyping to user testing. In addition, the Google course also teaches you how to use in-demand design tools such as Figma and Adobe XD. </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">2. What is taught in the course?</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">The programme content uses a mixture of videos, readings, practice activities and peer-graded assignments, which makes it very easy for beginners to digest information.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The programme is divided into 7 courses that will help you learn about the foundational knowledge of UX design. You will learn about common UX terms, the industry overview (focusing mostly on the US) and different design processes.  For example, you will learn about how to apply design thinking to your design process: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. This methodology is a solution-based approach to problem solving by understanding user needs, which is often used in the industry. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Apart from studying theories, the course also requires you to develop three design projects from scratch. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to create a portfolio including these three projects to share with potential employers. Moreover, the course even provides useful tips for improving your job application.</p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">3. What are good tips for learning the course?</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">First of all, when selecting topics for your own projects, remember to choose a topic that is relevant to your interest. During your learning process, the Google course uses a prompt generator called Sharpen to create various prompts that you can choose. However, the generated topics can be irrelevant and unrealistic at times. So you might need to be more selective when making a final decision. To make your learning process easier when conducting user research and testing, it is highly recommended to focus on a user group that you can easily approach such as family members and friends. For example, if you are designing an app for cat owners in your own country, you can look for friends or relatives who have cats. Meanwhile, if you decide to design an app for users in another country, it will be more difficult to interview users or conduct usability testing. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Secondly, to completely understand the design process, it is best to practise all the steps in design thinking. Google has done a really good job in giving detailed instructions to guide learners through the full process from user research to usability testing. There are even templates and demo videos for you to follow. Not many online courses can provide such a practical and engaging learning experience compared to Google. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Finally, when conducting user research or testing, you should also explore online research tools and other design tools different from Figma and Adobe XD. For instance, Maze is an online research platform that is free for limited use. You can create usability tests linked with your prototype on Figma and send these tests to your chosen users. On Maze, users can answer your  questions while interacting with the design at the same time. On the other hand, you can  use Figjam and Miro to create virtual workshops for ideating and gathering insights about a problem you want to solve. </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">4. Is there anything to be aware of? </h2><p style="text-align:justify;">In general, the Google UX design course provides an enjoyable learning experience. However, it is not completely perfect. It relies heavily on peer-graded assignments. In this case, you will have to submit your own assignments and wait for other peers to grade them. Since many learners are beginners, it is harder to receive constructive feedback and improve your assignment based on that. Another problem with this approach is that it can enable cheating. Some learners actually submitted nothing and dummy documents, or even plagiarised  other students’ works. That’s why you need to be more careful when grading these types of assignments. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">In addition, many learners are mistaken that they can find a job right away after gaining the certificate upon completion. In fact, the Google course might not benefit that much to complete beginners if they have no design background. The current UX industry still needs designers who are good not only at solving problems but also visual design. What Google has taught you is simply a scratch on the outer surface of the vast UX world. Therefore, it is more helpful to have a mentor or reach out to the UI / UX community to provide guidance on your career path. You can ask them to help with evaluating your portfolio or job application. </p><h2 style="text-align:justify;">5. In the end, is the Google course worth it?</h2><p style="text-align:justify;">If you are committed to your learning, it is definitely worth joining the course. Just remember that UX design is vast and multidisciplinary. Finishing the Google course doesn’t mean that you know everything about UX design. It is a constant learning path that you always have to pursue as the technology is still developing.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p></body></html>

Are you considering a career in UI/UX Design? Are you completely new or already familiar with the field by having some work experience in the tech industry? This article can help you make a decision whether you should go for Google UX Design Professional Certificate.

The dark side of UX design: Dark Patterns

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