Reflection Five - Student Submitted Articles
Man, I really dropped the ball on this one. Sorry guys, I completely forgot about uploading the assigned article for you all to read - my grade will reflect it so I guess it just means less work for you all, and subsequently less content for discussion in class.
I did, however, get around to reading all of your articles: here are my thoughts.
Dark Patterns - Some Examples to Watch Out For
This was a surprisingly funny video, and gave me the opportunity to see some examples of Dark UX outside of the typical Amazon/Facebook tactics that (through the exploration of these articles), are apparently Dark UX. It was absolutely unbelievable to me that a website could get away with something along the lines of adding an iPad case to your basket automatically, without any permission or prompting from the user. There is a subversive narrative to all of these articles, and the lengths some of these tactics go really try to pry on the ignorance or typical expectations of a given user.
The website which this talk was featured on is actually quite rigorous in their attempt to inform people about the practices being used practically under our noses. The Hall of Shame features a great volume of people who are attempting to capture evidence of these tactics online. It's an excellent way to raise awareness, if a little limited in its reach.
Follow Up Questions:
It's clear that Dark UX designers are being intentionally manipulative, and in some ways the aggressiveness of their tactics really begs the question: how is this legal? Is anyone aware of cases where Dark UX has toed the line between bad practice and illegal activity?
Is activism the right approach? How can large-scale reform begin to gain traction against this issue?
Haters Gonna Hate: What we can learn from Facebook's 2006 news feed reform
It's weird to think that this giant reform happened before I even arrived on the Facebook scene. In 2006, I was nine years old - well before my parents loosened up on their staunch anti-internet values. I'm 20 now, and I've literally never known a Facebook without the News Feed. If you'd asked me about it yesterday, I would have assumed it was a vital part of the platform from the very get-go.
There's a keep point here which I really found intriguing - this idea that Mark Zuckerberg stuck by the data, and was (as the article put it) "empathetic but resolute." It's an interesting thing in the context of UX, how to placate the aggressive minority which can't stomach the change without compromising the expectations of the majority who really just doesn't give a damn? It's not an answer I'm prepared to give, especially within the scope of a platform so large as Facebook - but the article seems to suggest that a designers best bet in this situation is to stick to the data, and try to assume this "empathetic but resolute" stance.
Follow Up Questions:
Going back to the "empathetic but resolute" part again: is it possible that 'sticking to the data' has allowed (or enabled) a shift into Dark UX? What is the moral middle ground in this scenario, especially in a case where the minority is trying to make the majority aware (or care) about a valid problem which occurred during one of these changes?
The next point I really found interesting was the idea that the users need to respect innovation. How do we, as designers, properly communicate that our changes are innovative? If we can't convince them, has that innovation failed? (I really feel it's not as simple as "if it's not working with the user base then it's not innovation" - I would site the Apple Newton as an example)
The Design of The Dark Side - The UX Dark Patterns
This article makes good use of its Star Wars symbolism - and is ultimately quite informative on specific Dark UX practices.
Forced continuity - something I'm sure we're all somewhat familiar with (either through amazon, spotify, or other subscription-based platforms which automatically update payment when they're able). Anecdotally, this exact issue landed me in a spot of trouble just last year - Adobe made some unexpected charges which overdrafted my bank-account. At the time, I was under the impression I had overdraft protection, but being the classically ignorant young-adult that I am, I was unaware that was not in fact the case. I was slammed by the Adobe charge, and ultimately had to cancel my subscription (at a fee), and only narrowly avoided several fines from my bank for the overdraft. Thankfully things worked out - after a week straight of financial panic, talking to several bots and outsourced telemarketers; I finally had things under control.
I guess what I'm getting around to saying is companies which employ these tactics really serve to profit off of the ignorance of their users. In my case, I was in the position where my parents weren't a source of financial stability for me - so mitigating this issue was an absolute nightmare.
Follow Up Questions:
Seriously, how is this stuff legal?
Has anyone else experienced a similar level of duress from sneaky Dark UX practices?
Dark-End UX: The Big Problem that Facebook, Twitter, and Others Need to Solve
"Personalization was great, until it wasn't"
This article was exactly as ominous as that line made me believe when I first saw this posted on Thursday. The thing which struck me the most about this article was the idea that we change at a rate our social-media platforms can't keep up with. I absolutely agree with this assessment: if I juxtapose where I am today as compared to five years ago, the changes are remarkable. Over the years I've undergone immense changes in personality, preferences and desires. None of my social media outlets (with the exception of those which I've recently adopted) reflect those changes, to the point where I simply don't participate in those platforms anymore. It's not some anti-establishment sentiment, it's a fact: a lot has changed, so where is that 'reset' button which allows me to retrain my social-media to reflect those changes?
Man, I really dropped the ball on this one. Sorry guys, I completely forgot about uploading the assigned article for you all to read - my grade will reflect it so I guess it just means less work for you all, and subsequently less content for discussion in class.
I did, however, get around to reading all of your articles: here are my thoughts.
Dark Patterns - Some Examples to Watch Out For
This was a surprisingly funny video, and gave me the opportunity to see some examples of Dark UX outside of the typical Amazon/Facebook tactics that (through the exploration of these articles), are apparently Dark UX. It was absolutely unbelievable to me that a website could get away with something along the lines of adding an iPad case to your basket automatically, without any permission or prompting from the user. There is a subversive narrative to all of these articles, and the lengths some of these tactics go really try to pry on the ignorance or typical expectations of a given user.
The website which this talk was featured on is actually quite rigorous in their attempt to inform people about the practices being used practically under our noses. The Hall of Shame features a great volume of people who are attempting to capture evidence of these tactics online. It's an excellent way to raise awareness, if a little limited in its reach.
Follow Up Questions:
It's clear that Dark UX designers are being intentionally manipulative, and in some ways the aggressiveness of their tactics really begs the question: how is this legal? Is anyone aware of cases where Dark UX has toed the line between bad practice and illegal activity?
Is activism the right approach? How can large-scale reform begin to gain traction against this issue?
Haters Gonna Hate: What we can learn from Facebook's 2006 news feed reform
It's weird to think that this giant reform happened before I even arrived on the Facebook scene. In 2006, I was nine years old - well before my parents loosened up on their staunch anti-internet values. I'm 20 now, and I've literally never known a Facebook without the News Feed. If you'd asked me about it yesterday, I would have assumed it was a vital part of the platform from the very get-go.
There's a keep point here which I really found intriguing - this idea that Mark Zuckerberg stuck by the data, and was (as the article put it) "empathetic but resolute." It's an interesting thing in the context of UX, how to placate the aggressive minority which can't stomach the change without compromising the expectations of the majority who really just doesn't give a damn? It's not an answer I'm prepared to give, especially within the scope of a platform so large as Facebook - but the article seems to suggest that a designers best bet in this situation is to stick to the data, and try to assume this "empathetic but resolute" stance.
Follow Up Questions:
Going back to the "empathetic but resolute" part again: is it possible that 'sticking to the data' has allowed (or enabled) a shift into Dark UX? What is the moral middle ground in this scenario, especially in a case where the minority is trying to make the majority aware (or care) about a valid problem which occurred during one of these changes?
The next point I really found interesting was the idea that the users need to respect innovation. How do we, as designers, properly communicate that our changes are innovative? If we can't convince them, has that innovation failed? (I really feel it's not as simple as "if it's not working with the user base then it's not innovation" - I would site the Apple Newton as an example)
The Design of The Dark Side - The UX Dark Patterns
This article makes good use of its Star Wars symbolism - and is ultimately quite informative on specific Dark UX practices.
Forced continuity - something I'm sure we're all somewhat familiar with (either through amazon, spotify, or other subscription-based platforms which automatically update payment when they're able). Anecdotally, this exact issue landed me in a spot of trouble just last year - Adobe made some unexpected charges which overdrafted my bank-account. At the time, I was under the impression I had overdraft protection, but being the classically ignorant young-adult that I am, I was unaware that was not in fact the case. I was slammed by the Adobe charge, and ultimately had to cancel my subscription (at a fee), and only narrowly avoided several fines from my bank for the overdraft. Thankfully things worked out - after a week straight of financial panic, talking to several bots and outsourced telemarketers; I finally had things under control.
I guess what I'm getting around to saying is companies which employ these tactics really serve to profit off of the ignorance of their users. In my case, I was in the position where my parents weren't a source of financial stability for me - so mitigating this issue was an absolute nightmare.
Follow Up Questions:
Seriously, how is this stuff legal?
Has anyone else experienced a similar level of duress from sneaky Dark UX practices?
Dark-End UX: The Big Problem that Facebook, Twitter, and Others Need to Solve
"Personalization was great, until it wasn't"
This article was exactly as ominous as that line made me believe when I first saw this posted on Thursday. The thing which struck me the most about this article was the idea that we change at a rate our social-media platforms can't keep up with. I absolutely agree with this assessment: if I juxtapose where I am today as compared to five years ago, the changes are remarkable. Over the years I've undergone immense changes in personality, preferences and desires. None of my social media outlets (with the exception of those which I've recently adopted) reflect those changes, to the point where I simply don't participate in those platforms anymore. It's not some anti-establishment sentiment, it's a fact: a lot has changed, so where is that 'reset' button which allows me to retrain my social-media to reflect those changes?
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