Dark patterns påverkan på användarens känslor : en kvalitativ studie på två e-handelswebbplatser

Sammanfattning: In today's society more and more people are consuming both clothes and groceries using websites online. With a few clicks, users have access to a wide range of products and services. However, many of these e-commerce sites also contain design intended to control users through dark patterns. While such practices can both manipulate and mislead, users can also become emotionally affected. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the user's emotions are affected by dark patterns on e-commerce sites. With qualitative research, the emotional impact on users is investigated while users explore a selection of websites, Shein and Systembolaget. This study was conducted using the Condensed Contextual Inquiry session method, including a brief interview with participants. The results illustrate that the majority of participants experienced dark patterns negatively on the e-commerce sites with emotions such as stress, irritation and uncertainty. Although participants identified dark patterns and experienced negative perceptions of these on both websites, the e-commerce site Shein contained the most dark patterns that were interpreted negatively on the users. The study concludes, therefore, that negative experiences on e-commerce websites using dark patterns can affect the users propensity for action and return.