Gijs Huisman receives NWO grant for research on dark haptics
Can technology deceive us through our sense of touch? And if so, how much do we mind? Dark design patterns are tricks in apps and websites that prompt us to do things we don't really want, such as quickly clicking ‘accept all’ on a cookie notification. Gijs Huisman: ‘The aim of my research is to be able to better recognise misleading designs in the future and more ideally avoid them.’
Assistant Professor at IDE Gijs Huisman: ‘The project is inspired by so-called “dark patterns” that you come across in many visual interfaces, especially websites. Think of cookie pop-ups designed to make you click ‘accept all’ more quickly. Other dark patterns include ‘fake urgency’ where the visual design tries to communicate scarcity. Booking makes(s) great use of this. Think of notifications like ‘there are now X number of others looking at this room’ or ‘there are only X rooms left for this rate’.’
“All of these examples are visual, but the technology we use every day, think smartphones, smartwatches and game controllers, also communicate through other sensory channels, including through our sense of touch. Think of haptic feedback such as vibration notifications given by your smartphone,” says Gijs. “In the present, we actually know little about how this kind of feedback can be used, or perhaps is already being used, to subtly ‘mislead’ users. What is important here is that what we see as deception depends on our norms and values. If privacy and autonomy matter to you, for example, you could say that a smartphone notification is a dark design pattern as it is designed to direct your attention to the smartphone and away from what you were otherwise doing, such as playing with your children or reading a book.”
The aim of the project is to be able to better recognise misleading designs in the future and more ideally avoid them. In the project, we want to do three things. First, design a set of dark haptic patterns to identify underlying design principles from them. Second, survey people about how they view these patterns and what norms and values underlie their views on haptic dark design. Third, based on our findings, establish a ‘research agenda’ for ethical haptic design.
The project is in collaboration with CWI's Abdallah El Al.
Non-programmed, Curiosity-driven research
With the NWO Open competition - SSH, NWO Social Sciences and Humanities wants to offer researchers the opportunity to carry out research into a subject of their own choosing without any thematic constraints. The funding instrument aims to serve a broader group of researchers in different stages of their academic careers.