Usability, Accessibility, and Dark Patterns in Product Design
Good user experience design is about providing the users with seamless, enjoyable interactions with products. But, we have been questioning the ethics of some of the practices for some time now.
One of the examples is discussed below.
Usability
UAE’s one of the leading e-com user-friendly, interactive platform with all the best practices of IA, Communication, Search, and Marketing.
Visibility of System Status is clear as CTA’s are as per content strategy and the option to get online assistance through chat is available.
Eid promotion calendar as per categories helps to match the system with the real world.
Search bar with apt labeling is helping with user errors and short journeys. It gives the user control over the system and freedom to browse as desire.
Consistency has been maintained through visuals, language, and colors.
Error prevention is taken care of with auto-correction, similar listing and with did you mean?
It also suggests the options rather than the user typing the whole thing. This helps to minimize the application of user memory. This is also based on user history and recommendations.
Flexibility and Efficiency of use are also practiced well on the platform. The Interface is flexible transforming itself between a novice user and an advanced user.
However, one might not observe, the user can not delete the account as they do everywhere.
This is the Dark pattern observed on most of the Ecomm nowadays.
Users can create the account on the portal within a few steps but leaving the system is not easy as it should be. This has been done purely for business profits (e.g. No. of users used for ad revenues, Database used for cross-selling upselling, Data use for other business collaborations, etc.)
Most of the time, not just you have to go through the unnecessary steps of contacting customer care, but the process also takes you through manual unsubscribing and confirm shaming!
With my encounter with this platform, I simply couldn't delete the account and customer care is not aware of why this option is not available.
Are there any rules and regulations around it?
Just wondering, what will be the future of the Dark patterns?
Please share your thoughts and feel free to get in touch with me on LinkedIn or Email
