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Case - Dark UX Patterns - ACM Ethics PDF

Stewart was asked to redesign a website to use confusing arrows and mix of red and green text. This was intended to trick users into more expensive unwanted options. When revenues increased, managers celebrated misleading users. The document analyzes how these "dark UX patterns" violate ethics principles by intending to deceive users, disrespect autonomy, and discriminate. Stewart and managers failed to ensure designs were not harmful, while the company should implement policies to guide ethical technology development.

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42 views2 pages

Case - Dark UX Patterns - ACM Ethics PDF

Stewart was asked to redesign a website to use confusing arrows and mix of red and green text. This was intended to trick users into more expensive unwanted options. When revenues increased, managers celebrated misleading users. The document analyzes how these "dark UX patterns" violate ethics principles by intending to deceive users, disrespect autonomy, and discriminate. Stewart and managers failed to ensure designs were not harmful, while the company should implement policies to guide ethical technology development.

Uploaded by

alialialiali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1/3/2021 Case: Dark UX Patterns | ACM Ethics

ACM Ethics
The Official Site of the Association for
Computing Machinery's Committee on
Professional Ethics

Using the Code: Dark UX Patterns

The change request Stewart received was simple enough: replace the web site’s rounded rectangle buttons with
arrows and adjust the color palette to one that mixes red and green text. But when Steward looked at the
prototype, he found it confusing. The left arrow suggested that the web site would go back to a previous page or
cancel some action; instead, this arrow replaced the button for accepting the company’s default product. The right
arrow, on the other hand, upgraded the user to the more expensive category; it also silently added a protection
warranty without asking for confirmation. Stewart suggested to his manager that this confusing design would
probably trick users into more expensive options that they didn’t want. The response was that these were the
changes requested by the client.

Shortly after the updates were released into their production system, Stewart’s team was invited to a celebration.
As a result of these changes, revenues at their client had increased significantly over the previous quarter. At the
celebration, Stewart overheard some of the client’s managers discussing the small increase for refunds by users
who claimed that they didn’t want the protection plan, but there weren’t many. One manager noted several
complaints from visually impaired users, who noted that the mixture of red and green text obscured important
disclaimers about the product. “So what you’re saying, then, is that the changes worked as planned,” quipped one
of the managers.

Analysis

Dark user experience (UX) patterns, which are designs that intend to trick users toward unintended (and often
more expensive) options, cause harm. They can make users feel duped (Principle 1.2), provide deliberately
misleading information (Principle 1.3), or discriminate against those with disabilities (Principle 1.4). Computing
professionals have a moral obligation to use their skills to benefit the members of society (Principle 1.1), not to
deceive them. Furthermore, the use of dark UX patterns is an affront to the dignity of users, violating Principle
2.1. Consequently, dark UX patterns violate several of the core principles of the Code.

The managers at Stewart’s clients knew that these design changes would disrespect users’ autonomy so as to
increase revenues, thus failing to adhere to Principle 3.1. While the moral offense rests primarily on these
individuals, Stewart and his manager also failed to exemplify several principles of the Code. Specifically, their
development and testing infrastructure should provide a more thorough evaluation of changes to their interface
(Principle 2.5). The leadership of Stewart’s company should articulate policies and processes (Principle 3.4) that
ensure their clients’ designs are not deceptive and harmful to users. Taking a stronger position in this regard
would guide Stewart and his company toward greater compliance with the principles of the Code.

These cases studies are designed for educational purposes to illustrate how to apply the Code to analyze complex
situations. All names, businesses, places, events, and incidents are fictitious and are not intended to refer to
https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/using-the-code/case-dark-ux-patterns/ 1/2
1/3/2021 Case: Dark UX Patterns | ACM Ethics

actual entities.

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https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/using-the-code/case-dark-ux-patterns/ 2/2

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