Dark Patterns in UX Design

Introduction

Dark Patterns: Features of interface design crafted to trick users into doing things they might not want to do, benefiting the business.
Example: Deleting an Amazon account.

The obvious place to look is under the account drop-down, but it's not there.
Steps to delete:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the page, under 'Let Us Help You', click 'Help'.
2. Navigate to 'Need More Help?' and click 'Contact Us'.
3. Click 'Prime or Something else' -> then 'Something else'.
4. Select 'Login and security' in 'Tell us more about your issue' drop-down.
5. In the second drop-down, select 'Close my account'.
6. Have a chat conversation with an Amazon associate to delete the account.
Roach Motel: Easy to get into a situation (create account), hard to get out (delete account).
Coined by UX specialist Harry Brignull in 2010.

Spam Emails: Example from Architectural Digest with a hard-to-see unsubscribe link, same font, and color as fine print.
Mobile Game Two Dots: Uses color to misdirect, leading users to in-app purchases.
Banner Ads: Chatmost's ad with a speck of dust to prompt accidental clicks.
Booking.com: Increase purchase urgency with notifications about just-missed hotel rooms.
LinkedIn: 'Add Contacts' page confused users, leading to unwarranted email messages. Legal challenge led to a $13 million settlement.

Dark patterns often stay within legal bounds, utilizing psychological tricks.
Fighting for Attention: Differentiating trust-building designs from deceptive ones.
Shared Responsibility: Users need to be aware, while designers should aim for honesty.
Quote by Harry Brignull: "Our best defense against the dark patterns is to be aware of them, and shame the companies who utilize them."

Design mediates interaction with the internet; should be comprehensible and honest.