What sorcery is this? How Software uses Dark Patterns to Manipulate Users

Ever signed up for a streaming service and found it impossible to unsubscribe? Added one item to your cart, only to discover additional warranties sneaking in? Or received monthly shipments of vitamin supplements when you’re positive you only ordered a single bottle? If your living room is filling up with things you didn't intend to buy and your budget is spiraling out of control, you may have fallen victim to a dark pattern.

Web

People

Dark patterns are intentionally deceptive design practices used in software to manipulate users into actions they didn’t intend to take. In this talk, we’ll uncover the tactics behind dark patterns, equipping you with the tools to recognize and avoid them—whether you're a user or designing software yourself. We’ll also provide strategies for discussing the implications of dark patterns with decision-makers and explore examples from both the digital and physical worlds.

Rachel Appel

Rachel currently works for JetBrains as a Developer Advocate. She has been in the business of creating software for over 25 years, as an author, mentor, and speaker at top industry conferences such as Techorama, //build, Øredev, NDC and SDD. During her career, she has worked on projects of all sizes from the smallest of apps, to the largest enterprise systems at some of the world’s leading companies.

Rachel’s expertise is in web development on the Microsoft stack, specifically Azure Functions, ASP.NET MVC, Web Forms, SignalR, C#, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript. Her hobbies include science, AI, reading, languages, and travel.