Deceptive design patterns (known as dark patterns) are interface characteristics which modify users’ choice architecture to gain users’ attention, data, and money. Deceptive design patterns have yet to be documented in safety technologies despite evidence that designers of safety technologies make decisions that can powerfully influence user behavior. To address this gap, we conduct a case study of the Citizen app, a commercially available technology which notifies users about local safety incidents. We bound our study to Atlanta and triangulate interview data with an analysis of the user interface. Our results indicate that Citizen heightens users’ anxiety about safety while encouraging the use of profit-generating features which offer security.
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Deceptive Design Patterns in Safety Technologies: A Case Study of the Citizen App
The need to expand an existing taxonomy of harm to include emotional load and social injustice is proposed and recommendations for designers interested in dismantling the deceptive infrastructure of safety technologies are offered.