DARK PATTERNS AND PEDAGOGY: EXPANDING SCHOLARSHIP AND CURRICULUM ON MANIPULATIVE MARKETING PRACTICES

Abstract

This conference paper addresses gaps in scholarship and pedagogy surrounding the phenomenon of “dark patterns” in digital marketing and interface design by showcasing three curriculum-building projects. Dark patterns refer to a set of design strategies that co-opt the human-centred values advocated for in the fields of user experience (UX) design and human-computer interaction (HCI) to manipulate users into taking actions contrary to their personal interests. Recent dark patterns research has clustered within the fields of HCI, media studies, and game studies, with a focus on e-commerce and online gambling platforms. The presented projects put this established research into conversation with scholarship from business and marketing, science and technology studies, cognitive neuroscience, and disability studies to both create a more holistic definition of dark patterns and implement this expanded definition into university course curricula. These include $2 , focused on contextualizing dark patterns within historical market segmentation and merchandising strategies; $2 , on broadening the definition of dark patterns to include non-screen interfaces; and $2 , on analyzing how dark patterns have a disproportionate effect on individuals with certain cognitive disabilities. Collectively, these projects aimed to grant a greater historicity and social context to the phenomenon of dark patterns and introduce them as a utilizable pedagogical concept within the disciplines of communications, technology, and design. The findings of these projects are presented through the sharing of pedagogical materials, informal and formal feedback, and planned curriculum revisions.