Dark Patterns: The dark side of UX

The dark side of UX
When I started studying UX, the community idealized the profession by trying to get rid of any bad user experience. They wanted to change the world for the benefit of users by creating good experiences, usable for everyone.
The first step consisted in knowing the users, their desires, their technological appetites in order to give them easy-to-use products. However, this first step allowed us, not only to know their strengths, but also their weaknesses.
And some UX have gone to the dark side of the force by using users' weaknesses to increase conversion rates and their profits..
It is true that I put forward a somewhat negative image but the reality is not so far away. UX is often idealized, but there is also a darker side to consider. The dark side is persuasive design principles, which encourage users to take a desired action like getting them to fill out a form or pushing them to buy something.
Persuasive design is related to seduction by design. Some of these techniques are summarized by Cialdini in his book: The psychology of persuasion.
Persuasion techniques are explained in this video:

It is naïve today to think that the role of UX is only to improve the user experience. UX is also used to increase the conversion rate and profitability of a service. This discipline is becoming more and more like a commercial weapon allowing in particular to increase sales.
Harry Brignull tells us a little more about these techniques called “dark patterns” in the video below:
The UX Dilemma

It is obvious that UX must be used to increase the conversion rate and that companies need it. But when the design is deliberately used to mislead users, the hurdle is crossed. The real dilemma here is to see where the limit is that should not be crossed. The key element to decide is loyalty.
When a design tends to hurt user loyalty, then you may be crossing that line..

Instead of designing an interface to increase the conversion rate, it makes more sense to design to increase the retention rate.

The relationship with a user should be seen as a partnership rather than considering him as an anonymous consumer. If you're aiming for user loyalty, you need to be transparent about how the business is run. This will have no negative impact on a company's business or profitability and could potentially be more engaging than a simple conversion rate. In the end, it is more interesting and profitable to aim for the loyalty of its users rather than to play on short-term conversion levers.
Rémi TAIEB – Lead UX-Designer @UX-Republic