Towards the Identification of Dark Patterns: An Analysis Based on End-User Reactions
Aditi M. Bhoot, Mayuri A. Shinde, Wricha Mishra
Abstract
A dark pattern is a user interface that purposefully deceives users for the benefit of the business by influencing their decision making process. The objectives of this research paper are three-fold. The first objective is to determine the difference in the susceptibility of the users to the different types of dark patterns. The second is to identify the underlying factors that make users victims of the different types of dark patterns. The third objective is to identify the difference in the impact on the users, caused by the least identified and the most identified dark pattern. This paper presents five elements that play an important role in the identification of dark patterns by the users, even if they are not completely aware of the unethical intentions behind the design. In addition to that, a taxonomy is formed with the factors that trigger the users towards dark patterns. Strong correlations and associations between these five elements and the user's ability to identify dark patterns are found. It was also found that the correlations between the elements differ from the type of dark pattern in consideration. This paper helps in understanding the factors that influence the users to become victims of dark patterns and the difference in the impact of the different types of dark patterns on the user. The variables and factors of identification determined in this research can benefit the HCI community to understand the adverse effects of dark patterns on usability.