Media Mentions

  • Fighting Dark Patterns Podcast, How might we create a common language on dark patterns? Listen.
  • Bloomberg Law, ‘Dark Patterns’ in Consumer Data Privacy Garner Policy Attention. Read 
    Gray called California’s new privacy rules, issued under the California Consumer Privacy Act, an “entrance point” for policy oversight of the issue. The rules could have a national impact, given how many companies do business in California.
  • Truth or Fiction, How to Fight Disinformation: Introduction and Overview by Brooke Binkowski. Read
    Dark patterns show up all over the web, nudging people to subscribe to newsletters, add items to their carts, or sign up for services. But, says says Colin Gray, a human-computer interaction researcher at Purdue University, they’re particularly insidious “when you’re deciding what privacy rights to give away, what data you’re willing to part with.” Gray has been studying dark patterns since 2015.
  • Purdue Polytechnic Newsroom, Empowering designers to build ethical awareness into technology. Read
  • Learning Experience Leader podcast, Ethics and Dark Patterns in Design with Dr. Colin Gray. Listen
    “These aren’t just strategies or patterns that are found out there in the world, they’re applied by a person and often with intent…”
  • The Atlantic, The Endless, Invisible Persuasion Tactics of the Internet. Read
    “What we’re finding is really complex strands of ethical reasoning,” Gray says. “But I don’t see that that sort of awareness is traveling down to the general public.”
  • Kiplinger, Beware Dark Patterns on the Web. Read
    “My bigger concern is how dark patterns play out in other contexts,” says Colin Gray. 
  • Wired, How Facebook and Other Sites Manipulate Your Privacy Choices. Read
    they’re [dark patterns] particularly insidious “when you’re deciding what privacy rights to give away, what data you’re willing to part with.” Gray has been studying dark patterns since 2015.
  • UX Collective, Disrespectful design: let’s leave it behind in 2020. Read
    In fact, Colin Gray, a researcher in computer graphics at Purdue University, found that users often blame themselves for falling prey to dark patterns.
  • Wikipedia, Dark Patterns. Read
  • Dexterity UX, Dark UI patterns research & regulatory implications. Read
  • /r/assholedesign, “A group of researchers in HCI have written an academic paper based on /r/assholedesign. It has been published at the DIS2020 conference and you can watch it here!View
  • IXD@Pratt, Ethics in Usability Research: Exposing Dark Patterns. Read
  • Master Digital Design, Some ‘dark patterns’ in UX. Read
    Fortunately, at this year’s CHI conference, my good friends and former colleagues Colin Gray and Austin Toombs will publish exactly the paper I need!
  • Input, TikTok influencers are telling people to stop using the app. Read
    “This latest development is perhaps a good example of social media apps wanting to have their cake and eat it too,” Gray says. “They first build knowingly addictive patterns into the core of their app, then add patterns that, while quite paternalistic, also make it seem as if they are being good internet citizens.”
  • Naver, 시리즈UX Story [Dark Patterns of UXD 1-2] 환히 보이는 다크패턴. Read
  • HCI textbook, Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. View