In The Conversation magazine, Daniel Fitton, University of Central Lancashire writes that how dark web design manipulate users into clicking sites using pop-up “cookie banner”. According to Fitton, “dark design” – the practice of creating user interfaces that are intentionally designed to trick or deceive the user using what he calls as manipulative cookie banners.
The cookie banner purports to offer you a choice: consent to only the essential cookies that help maintain your browsing functionality, or accept them all – including cookies that track your browsing history to sell on to targeted advertising firms. Because those additional cookies generate extra revenue for the websites we visit, cookie banners are often designed to trick you into clicking “accept all”.
– Daniel Fitton on The Conversation
Fitton points out really interesting points that when we visit a site, we often notice about the cookies use policy at the bottom of page, we almost tend to “click” without reading it. “Dark design has proven to be an incredibly effective way of encouraging web users to part with their time, money and privacy” writes Fitton.
Free services such as Facebook and YouTube monetise your attention by placing advertisements in front of you as you scroll, browse or watch. In this “attention economy”, the more you scroll or watch, the more money the companies make. So these platforms are intentionally optimised to command and retain your attention, even if you’d rather close the app and get on with your day. For example, the expertly crafted algorithm behind YouTube’s “Up Next” video suggestions can keep us watching for hours if we let them.
The problem with dark design is that it’s difficult to spot. And dark patterns, which are established in every developer’s toolbox, spread fast. They’re hard for designers to resist when free apps and websites are competing for our attention, judged on metrics like “time on page” and the “user conversion rate”.
The author advises users to understand such dark design practices, how dark patterns work, and what they’re hoping to achieve, can help us detect and overcome their trickery.