Experience Design, User experience, Accessbility, Game design, Experience simulation
Conceptualizing and detailed design of the . Designing with Microsoft Co-Pilot for technology and Accenture engineering.
How many times have we alienated digital novices, leaving them to navigate a labyrinth while we effortlessly find our way?
23%
of international adult population in urban areas is not digitally literate.
50 yo +
Lack of access
Lower income households
Lack of knowledge
How might we encourage accessibility in products we design to reduce any exclusion?
Overview
An investigation on the impact of dark patterns in UX design, particularly in the context of e-commerce.
Our aim was to bridge the gap between designers and the end users by creating an engaging and informative experience. We developed a gamified e-commerce platform that mirrored the same emotional rollercoaster that digital novices encounter when interacting with digital products.
Through this interactive simulation, designers - the very creators of these interfaces - were given the opportunity to step into the shoes of their users and experience firsthand the emotional and usability challenges.
The primary goal was to cultivate empathy among designers. We intended to foster a greater commitment to user-centered and accessible design practices.
This project ultimately sought to inspire positive change within the design community, promoting designs that are inclusive, transparent, and respectful of all users' needs.
Understand
Remember the email you got when 'the Nigerian Prince needed money to get home' or you purchased a bag from a new website and it never came?
What are Dark Patterns
A range of behavioral and design techniques used to influence consumer choice online, in ways that exploit cognitive biases and can be detrimental to the consumer – either economically, or in terms of the use of their personal data.
Digital Illiteracy
Digital Novices
Digital Immigrants
Technically Ignorant
It is an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information through digital products.
It is a combination of both technical and cognitive abilities in using information and communication technologies to create, evaluate, and share information.
Discover
User Research
Experience Waveline
Interviews Conducted
With decision makers and edge-case consumers
Waveline of Gameplay
Reflects what digital novices go through -
may or may not accomplish the task.
Prototype
Enjoy in fullscreen -
(Click on top right of preview)
Takeaways
Best Practices in UX
Acknowledge the need of increased empathy
WCAG Guidelines
They exist to ensure accessibility
Harm Analysis
Defamation
Would this game be vulnerable to defamation suits?
Disheartened Designers
Would some designers feel frustrated and powerless by playing this game? Demotivating them rather than motivating them?
Confusion of Best Practices
If not clearly stated as satirical, decision makers/designers who play the game could accidentally confuse the elements in this game as “best practices” - especially since some elements in the game are from real e-commerce websites and we’re trying to make the experience more realistic as opposed to hyperbolic.
Smaller Companies Suffer
Should this game succeed, though it could drive both the decision makers/designers toward more positive change, this could be harmful to smaller companies who may not have the economic power to make such drastic changes so quickly.
