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The term “dark pattern” refers to user interface design patterns. That’s where the “pattern” bit comes from. There was already a term for anti-pattern which ref
by harrybr 6y ago
The term “dark pattern” refers to user interface design patterns. That’s where the “pattern” bit comes from. There was already a term for anti-pattern which referred to mistakes. I wanted a term that had a Machiavellian tone to it, so I chose “dark” (Star Wars, Harry Potter, why not?).
I’m not quite sure why this term proved to be so popular. I think it is helpful to have a term that is a little vague though, as it can be a lot of work to pin down whether something is truly deceptive with an outcome of harm - or just an annoying attempt to nudge.
- Bakary 6y agoThanks for letting me know. Looking through the thread again after my initial off-the-cuff reaction, I'm starting to think that I may be reading too much into the term due to my own biases and assigning interpretations to people that they might not have. There's certainly more to say on this topic. >I’m not quite sure why this term proved to be so popular. Well, it does sound cool and memorable on its own...