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Deceptive, manipulative, and coercive practices are deeply embedded in our digital experiences, impacting our ability to make informed choices and undermining our agency and autonomy. These design practices—collectively known as “dark patterns” or “deceptive patterns”—are increasingly under legal scrutiny and sanctions, largely due to the efforts of human-computer interaction scholars that have conducted pioneering research relating to dark patterns types, definitions, and harms. In this workshop, we continue building this scholarly community with a focus on organizing for action. Our aims include: (i) building capacity around specific research questions relating to methodologies for detection; (ii) characterization of harms; and (iii) creating effective countermeasures. Through the outcomes of the workshop, we will connect our scholarship to the legal, design, and regulatory communities to inform further legislative and legal action. 

Dark patterns are increasingly ubiquitous in digital services and regulation, describing instances where designers use deceptive, manipulative, or coercive tactics to encourage end users to make decisions that are not in their best interest. Research regarding dark patterns has also increased significantly over the past several years. In this systematic review, we evaluate literature (n=79) from 2014 to 2022 that has empirically described dark patterns in order to identify the presence, impact, or user experience of these patterns as they appear in digital systems. Based on our analysis, we identify key areas of current interest in evaluating dark patterns’ context, presence, and impact; describe common disciplinary perspectives and framing concepts; characterize dominant methodologies; and outline opportunities for further methodological support and scholarship to empower scholars, designers, and regulators.