DesignByte: A Cautionary Tale of Deceptive UX Patterns

Are you using your UX powers for good or evil?

Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale. A tale of a woman who isn’t quite careful about what she does with her personal information while browsing the internet.

Do you think you’re safe online? Do you pay close attention to the websites you visit?

Unscrupulous UX designers might use some dirty tactics to trick you into doing their evil bidding.

Don’t fall for these dirty tricks. Find out how to protect yourself by listening to this cautionary tale of deceptive UX patterns.

We want to give a huge shout-out to Kat Richards for writing an awesome article about deceptive UX patterns that inspired this story. Thanks Kat!

A quick note about this episode: Derek and I originally recorded this back in 2020, before the term “Deceptive Patterns” was widely used. Since then, “dark patterns” has been replaced with the more inclusive “deceptive patterns” terminology.

From the deceptive.design website: “The change reflects a commitment to avoiding language that might inadvertently carry negative associations or reinforce harmful stereotypes.”

Helpful Links:
• A Very Scary UX Halloween Story: Dark Patterns and Bad UX

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