manipulative design

Associate Professor Colin M. Gray runs a research lab that maps and spreads information about dark patterns, aka manipulative design.

Dark patterns are getting increasingly addictive, and yet many of us put up with them if we want something. The good news is that the legal community has started to take notice, and consumers are becoming more aware. 

Colin and I talk about the past, current and future state of dark patterns, including:

• The non-digital roots of manipulative design in the ad industry
• The challenge of motivating businesses to stop using unethical design
• The danger of brain science and how it can become a playbook for evil strategies
• The fine line between a playful brand voice and so-called asshole design

Colin M. Gray is an Associate Professor at Purdue University in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology and Associate Professor (by courtesy) in Learning Design & Technology in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

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Connect with Colin on LinkedIn

Learn more at darkpatterns.ux2p

Also mentioned:

Asshole design on Reddit

Helpful Links 

• DarkPatterns.org – Harry Brignull’s original list of these deceptive design practices. Edited by Alexander Darlington.
• Dark Patterns at Scale – A group of Princeton University researchers studied 11,000 shopping websites and created a taxonomy to identify and organize dark patterns. It’s a very thorough investigation of this topic!
• The Social Dilemma - a Netflix documentary/dramatization about manipulative design’s impact through the lens of social media. Do designers share responsibility for the product experiences they help create and the negative impact it may have on users?
• Why You Can’t Escape Dark Patterns – an article by Lilly Smith on the GDPR and the stubborn resilience of these patterns despite new regulations.

More Ascend UX Content 

• Visit the Ascend UX podcast’s website for more episodes.
• Read our blog on Medium for helpful articles on UX design.

Contact Us

• We love your questions and feedback! Please send them to ascendux@pros.com. We read every message and may use your question in a future show.
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Credits

• Thanks to Ultravice and Lakey Inspired for the use of their music.
• Thanks to our producer and editor Brandon Robinson.
• This show is created by PROS and the PROS UX Team.

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