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This talk caught my interest because, on one side, I’m trying to get better at using Figma, and the talk showed off some neat new features. On the other side, it gave a good overview of what’s important when you’re working on prototypes.

They talked about the challenges of prototyping really complex projects in Figma, like having too many frames. More frames make it tough to extend, understand, create, and share your work. They also emphasized the need for advanced prototyping techniques.

new features in Figma

They introduced some new features in Figma that got me excited. The most important changes are:

• Variables,
• Expressions (which let you change those variables),
• and the ability to use multiple actions and conditions.

These new tools make it easier to create complex behaviors and logic in your prototypes. Plus, they make it simpler to make changes to your project after you’ve built the prototype. The projects also end up looking way more organized than before, which is great when other people need to jump in and work on it. As an example, they showed one and the same project which was done in two ways: on the one hand with the old features and on the other hand with the new features, the difference impressed me a lot:

useful information for my master’s thesis

As I’m planning to prototype two apps for my master’s thesis using Figma, this talk was super helpful. Knowing about these tools and understanding the common problems with prototyping can save a ton of time and frustration while I’m working on my thesis. It’s reassuring to have a better grasp of Figma’s capabilities and feel more confident tackling the challenges of prototyping for my ambitious projects.

Ecosystem map

Regenerative Field Kit: MacBook Pro 2015

What is it for?

• Laptop, von Apple entwickelt und erstmals 2015 eingeführt

How did it get here?

• Apple Store, Händler, Online-Shops
• Transportiert über Flugzeug, LKWs

Who Uses it?

• Studenten
• Professoren
• häufig Personen die in den Bereichen Grafikdesign, Videobearbeitung arbeiten
• “normale” Verbraucher

What does it do?

führt eine Reihe an Aufgaben aus, wie beispielsweise:

• Surfen im Internet
• Verfassen von Dokumenten
• Ermöglicht es mit diversen Programmen zu Arbeiten
• bearbeiten von Fotos, Videos
• speichern von Daten …

What is it made of?

• Aluminium
• Display
• Tastatur
• Trackpad
• Prozessor
• Speicher
• Grafikkarte

Who made it?

• Designed von Apple California
• Produziert in China

Why does it exist?

• leistungsfähiger, tragbarer Computer -> existiert damit Benutzer auch unterwegs, von überall aus arbeiten können

Ontology:

Meine Perspektive auf Dark Patterns basiert auf persönlichen Erfahrungen im Internet. Jeder, der regelmäßig online ist, hat wahrscheinlich schon mit ihnen zu tun gehabt. Meine Erfahrung zeigt, dass sie unterschiedliche Reaktionen hervorrufen können: Man ignoriert sie, übersieht sie oder hat negative Nutzererfahrungen durch sie. Ich neige dazu, Dark Patterns als negativ und unseriös zu betrachten und bin der Meinung, dass ich diese häufig durchschaue. Jedoch kann ich mir vorstellen, dass vor allem unerfahrene Nutzer anfälliger für die Manipulationstaktiken sein können und deshalb anders reagieren. Ich würde sagen, dass die Frage, ob Dark Patterns eine negative Auswirkung auf das Nutzererlebnis haben, subjektiv ist, und würde sie dem “Interpretivismus” zuordnen. Unerfahrene Nutzer werden viele Dark Patterns höchstwahrscheinlich gar nicht wahrnehmen oder zumindest nicht als negativ interpretieren.

Epistemology:

Ich werde sowohl theoretische Quellen heranziehen als auch empirisch arbeiten. Zunächst werde ich mir einen Überblick verschaffen, welche allgemeinen Statistiken/Ergebnisse zum Thema “Dark Patterns und deren Einfluss auf das Nutzererlebnis” bereits vorhanden sind. Anschließend werde ich durch Usability-Testing und mithilfe von Fragebögen empirische Daten sammeln. Als Werkstück werden zwei High-Fidelity-Prototypen von Online-Shops erstellt. Einer verwendet Dark Patterns, der Andere nicht. Nutzer müssen bei beiden eine Reihe von Aufgaben durchführen, wie beispielsweise das Kaufen von Produkten. Anschließend soll durch Befragung und Beobachtung ausgewertet werden, welcher Online-Shop den Nutzern sympathischer erscheint, wo sie eher einkaufen würden und ob bzw. welche Dark Patterns aufgefallen sind und ob diese auch negativ wahrgenommen wurden.

Zunächst wird eine grundsätzliche Befragung über das Online-Kaufverhalten vorgenommen. Nach Durchführung des Usability-Tests soll befragt werden, ob bzw. wie sehr Nutzer mit Dark Patterns vertraut sind und ob diese sie überhaupt stören. Es werden Testpersonen herangezogen, die möglichst unterschiedliche Eigenschaften im Bezug auf Alter, Beruf und Vertrautheit mit Online-Shopping haben, um so möglichst umfassende Daten zu sammeln. (Ansonsten könnte die Gefahr bestehen, dass nur die Sichtweise von bestimmten Nutzergruppen wie beispielsweise die der jungen, internetaffinen Menschen herangezogen wird, welche jedoch von der Wahrnehmung aller potenzieller Zielgruppen abweicht.)

Mögliche Gefahren könnten sein, dass ich bei der Befragung im Bezug auf Dark Patterns unbewusst nicht neutral genug bin (da ich selbst ein negatives Bild zu dieser Thematik habe) und so die Testpersonen in eine bestimmte Richtung lenke. Ich glaube, es ist auch wichtig, zunächst nicht preiszugeben, dass es bei dem Usability-Test um Dark Patterns geht. Die Befragten sollen im Glauben bleiben, dass sie nur etwas online bestellen müssen. So kann am besten festgestellt werden, ob und wie viele Dark Patterns bemerkt wurden und ob dadurch ein negatives Nutzererlebnis zustande gekommen ist.

Katharina Brunner is a Journalist and Data Scientist, alumni from FH Joanneum, who creates generative graphics to represent information relevant to journalism topics, such as gender equality, LGBTQI+ rights, privacy rights and creates open-source code for generative art. 

I came up with her work when I was looking for more AI artists and it interested me the way Katharina uses AI for informing and social causes beyond experiences it’s a new way of perceiving and giving importance to information. Making easier to represent data regarding sensible topics. It created a question on my mind, Is it possible to use AI graphics for creating experiences that would impact our society further than an experience? 

On another note: I played around with her open-source code for generative art and creative some images, like this one 🙂

The LA based artist, born in Tukey. Has been a change maker in digital art and experiences, from showcasing his work in the MOMA to being the first artist to use The Sphere in Las Vegas as a canvas. His work leads viewers to alternative realities. 

But how does it work? His art is a curation of AI data generated images, the information gathers for creating his content goes from sounds, waves, photos or data from free and open sources, like national parks, libraries even the NASA images, creating temporary immersive environments. 

What’s amusing about his job is the way he transforms architectural spaces and façades into giant live art pieces, making it seem like it’s alive. His main focus is creating immersive experiences and to portray how it is to address the challenges and possibilities that computing has impose in society, as well as what it looks like to be a human in a world filled with artificial intelligence, how something we interact with every single day can look like. 

I found out about this term on my visit to, while looking at Christiane Peschek´s THE FECTH digital art exhibition. From then on, I started looking at different artists around the world and how this new form of art changes the way we perceive art, it creates a new form of experiencing art and how transformative it can be.

But what is it? It is a process of creating new ideas, forms, shapes, colors, or patterns, with algorithms (coding), it’s known as the future of art, a new innovating way of integrating computers with the emotional perception of humans, it is what we know in design the Human-Computer Interaction. A computer generates the content, a human does the curation of it, so another human can experience it.

I realized my first encounter with it was a year ago, in our processing class, creating images and video loops of graphics, made by code. One of the first people to bring this term out in the design week was Joshua Davis, a US designer who was in OFFF Barcelona, he explained the importance of creating generative art and how it has and will change the perspective of graphics.

On my next posts I’ll talk about how other designers, artist and data scientists have brought generative art into an experience.

Persuasive Design and Dark Patterns

The task of designing something means that the designer thinks about the thing he is designing and how it caters the user and about the impact the designed thing will have on human behavior. No design is bare of a reason. Design is not free from a certain reason for which it was conceived. Research on persuasive design highlights it´s potential benefits for behavioural change, if that is good for the receiver and environment or just for the company is an ethical question.

There are seven persuasive strategies defined bei Fogg: reduction, tunneling, tailoring, suggestion, self-monitoring, surveillance, and conditioning.

Speaking of ethical concerns, there are four key principles to consider:

1. Dual-privacy
2. Disclosure
3. Accuracy
4. The “golden” principle

UX design is not specifically driven by persuasive intent, however, persuasive intent must be recognised as inherent in all design activities. Consequently, dark patterns observed in UX practice may reflect these strategies but deviate from their original purpose and ethical standards.

Let´s recall types of Dark Patterns, to understand the differnce to persuasive and ethically correct pattern. The naming of the dark pattern already indicates that they are manipulative.

1. Bait and Switch: Misleading intentions leading to undesirable outcomes.
2. Disguised Ad: Ads masked as content or navigation.
3. Forced Continuity: Silent credit card charges post free trials without warning.
4. Friend Spam: Misuse of email or social permissions for spamming contacts.
5. Hidden Costs: Unexpected charges revealed late in the checkout process.
6. Misdirection: Diverting attention from one aspect to conceal another.
7. Price Comparison Prevention: Hindering price comparison for informed choices.
8. Privacy Zuckering: Tricking users into oversharing personal information.
9. Roach Motel: Easy access but difficult exit from a situation (e.g., subscriptions).
10. Sneak into Basket: Secretly adding items during the purchasing journey.
11. Trick Questions: Misleading questions requiring careful attention for clarity.

The difference between dark patterns and persuasive design strategies is mainly the intentions of the favoured outcome. Dark patterns are ignoring user rights and whats best for the human beeing but just a benefit for some stakeholders. The intention of the manipulation is that users are not able to understand or fully explore all options for action.They act “blindly”. The intented action is forced by nagging and empasising the desired action to lead the user to the desired outcome. The strategy of secrecy prevents to show all possible options and actions and forces users to react to the system rather than act conciously.

On the other hand, persuasive design strategies, as proposed by Fogg and others, aim to influence user behaviour, but with ethical considerations in mind.

• Reduction and Tunneling: Guides users, but within the scope of their interests, similar to forced action and obstruction (Dark Pattern).
• Tailoring and Suggestion: which aim to guide users on the basis of their preferences without forcing them to act against their interest. It is similar to interface interference (Dark Pattern).
• Conditioning: This refers to strategies such as secrecy or nagging (dark patterns) that may influence behaviour, but for user interest reasons. [1]

Other studies have created guidelines for persuasive interfaces. The developed checklist was created with examination of 164 documents associated with technological persuasion (for document specifics, refer to Némery, 2012). With this reaserch they were able to identify and organize primary elements of persuasion. Those form the basis of the guidelines, declining eight persuasive criteria and 23 sub-criteria. The eight basic criteria, which are divided into static and dynamic aspects, are intended to improve the awareness and evaluation of persuasive elements in interfaces.

Interactions with computers are often combarable with human interactions. The computer can build trust in a similar way to interpersonal relationships. The interactive system can evoke emotional involvement in repeated interactions. Through the use of formal and polite language, computers can act as social support units or teammates, assuming roles such as coach, co-operation partner or symbiotic assistant, depending on the context (Nass, Fogg, & Moon, 1996). Therfore some static criteria, static means that they are basic and not lightly influenced by other factors, are the same like we like in a human beeing: credibility, privacy, personalization, and attractiveness.

Credibility is the most important criteria and is based on the information the interface provides. It is also influenced by a company or the reputation of a company. Example: Testimonials, or showing logos of partners and clients, which are global players.

Privacy refers to the protection of personal data, but also to integrity. It should be provided by detailed information on data protection and security, but not in formal words but easy to access content.

Personalisation means, users can adapt the interface to their preferences, which should increase loyalty to the product. That could mean addressing users by their name, eaven more personal and friendshiplike by using the first name.

Attractiveness is created through an aesthetically pleasing and modern UI design. It should attract the users’ attention, involve them by evoking positive feelings and make it easier for them to take certain actions. It also means that the interface has nice images, animations and appropriate colours.

There are also four dynamic criteria. Dynamic means that those criteria are showing during an interactive process. They are not basic, they are temporarily.

Solicitation initiates relationship and dialogue with the user, making suggestions or special offers.

Priming encourages users to take the next step, like call-to action Buttons with the pressuring do something NOW. That also includes the distinction between primary and secondary buttons, which guides users through an interface.

Commitment involves and motivates users with rewards and positive feedback to encourage to repeat a certain action and shows achievements.

Ascendency has potential for addiction. It means suggestions for irresistible interaction and tension release, like last item available.

[1] Colin M. Gray, Yubo Kou, Bryan Battles, Joseph Hoggatt, and Austin L. Toombs. 2018. The Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design. In Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’18). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Paper 534, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3174108

[2] Némery, Alexandra, and Eric Brangier. “Set of Guidelines for Persuasive Interfaces: Organization and Validation of the Criteria.” Journal of Usability Studies 9, no. 3 (2014).