7:00–8:00 pm Zoom
Virtual Harper Lecture with Asst. Prof. Marshini Chetty, Dept. of Computer Science
"Only 3 Left At This Price: Investigating Dark Patterns And Consumer Protections"
Shopping online? Find yourself asking: are there really only 3 items left at this price? In some cases, the answer is that it is a downright lie or at best misleading in nature. Yet consumers may not realize when they are being duped into making purchasing decisions they may not have, if fully informed and presented with accurate information. Professor Chetty will discuss this increasing trend towards intentionally misleading user interface choices, or dark patterns, which steer consumers down certain paths for the gain of the service provider using shopping related dark patterns as a case study. Join us to learn how you can spot these dark patterns as we enter the year-end shopping season.