You click, they trick. Dark patterns are designs that manipulate you into buying things you don’t need or providing data you did not even know existed in the first place.

This thesis explores why such designs are so prevalent in the European online shopping industry and what could be done to address it. During the research, it became clear that the short-term focus was one of the underlying root causes of these designs. Hence, an interactive assessment tool was prototyped, to address the issue together with project managers, e-commerce leaders, and product managers.

This tool was tested in three iterations with project managers, e-commerce leaders, and product managers. The final prototype aims to provide an assessment of the current focus, create a context for the score and to provide tailored resources for improving and changing one’s focus towards the long term.

You are invited to explore the prototype or watch the short explanation video in the link below. For more details on my study on addressing short-term focus in the European e-commerce industry, do not hesitate to reach out directly via LinkedIn.