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Employing dark patterns never pays off in the long term. Here’s how companies and designers can work together to prevent UX worst practices.
While there are plenty examples of bad user experience design, from ineffective site navigation to overly complex interfaces, there is a darker side of UX that goes a step further. Designers may feel torn between designing in the best interest of the user and ensuring that their client is happy with a financial return. It’s this complicated dynamic that can lead to what’s known as “dark patterns.”
The term, coined by London-based designer Harry Brignull, is also known as dark UX, and describes a type of design that is meant to to trick users into doing something they wouldn’t otherwise. Dark UX shows itself in the airline website that tricks its customers into spending more money by making it seem like only the most expensive seats are available, or the loan provider that uses unnecessary steps so it’s more difficult to make advance payments on loan installments. These practices use UX methodologies to achieve business goals and increase conversion rates, rather than build the best experience for the user. And it’s not just crappy, deceptive companies that lean on dark UX to trick users into doing what they want: People have griped on social media about encountering dark patterns on Amazon, Uber, Facebook, and LinkedIn, among others.
What companies that use these practices often fail to realize is that these strategies only bring short-term returns. In the long term, the experience frustrates the user, leaving them irritated and reluctant to return. The result is a stain on the brand’s reputation, which may cost more than any conversion rate they reach.
Staying clear of dark UX shouldn’t be the burden of just UX professionals, and while this can be a difficult subject to tackle, here are a few easy guidelines that can help you avoid the bad practices of dark UX.
Never trust conversion rates that grow magically overnight. Suggest a usability test if you see a large and seemingly sudden conversion rate. Numbers can tell us what is happening, but don’t tell us how or why. In this sense, the usability test is one of our biggest allies.
Could the user just be satisfied? Maybe. But in the case of a sudden shift in conversion rates, there is a fair chance that the user is buying something without realizing it. If this is not corrected, the process can end up harming the user and, eventually, the company and its brand.
UX design methodologies are very efficient, but if someone wanted to, they could interpret them as they see fit in order to achieve their sales goals. Common examples are the company that says it’s conducted a usability test, but really only interviewed two people with similar profiles, or a client that skews the results of user testing by discussing the ideal outcome with participants before the test.
Always let those responsible for the business know why certain practices are considered dark UX. Be sure to explain how it disrespects their users, and point out the dangers that this will bring to their business in the long run.
For more information on dark patterns and how to avoid them, visit darkpatterns.org.
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