Bridge Over Troubled Water: Aligning Commercial Incentives With Ethical Design Practice To Combat Deceptive Patterns

Over the past decade, awareness of unethical design practices has risen within and outside the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Often referred to as deceptive design or dark patterns, associated practices coerce, obstruct, or manipulate user choices in various online contexts. As regulations aiming to protect users from especially malicious practices increase globally and customer service relationships suffer, we identify a need to bring together practitioners with scholars in a transdisciplinary context to work together on sensible solutions that benefit both users and service providers. Our key aims are: (1) identifying gaps between user expectations and commercial incentives; (2) assessing contemporary design practices; and (3) rerouting user journeys to enable informed decision-making. Through roundtable discussions and collaborative activities, this workshop will foster the relationship between practitioners and scholars and help align ethical design principles with current practice, reflecting both user and service provider needs.