IP REPORTS INNOVATION AND FORESIGHT N°06 Shaping Choices in the Digital World January 2019 Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés From dark patterns to data protection: 3 place de Fontenoy TSA 80715 the influence of ux/ui design on user empowerment 75334 PARIS CEDEX 07 Tél. +33 (0)1 53 73 22 22
[email protected] www.cnil.fr linc.cnil.fr SHAPING CHOICES IN THE DIGITAL WORLD EDITORIAL 1 People live with all kinds of digital objects. These range from social networks to cutting-edge connected objects. They are now a fully-fledged part of our aesthetic relationship with the world, on a par with architecture or decorative art. A certain widely distributed and highly standardised aesthetic of digital media has been created, producing strong brands in users’ minds. Users are barely aware of this aesthetic, which is well thought out. Conditioning through design pre-empts everything that the individual handles or sees in the digital world. In the wake of Bauhaus, where design is based on the search for functional aesthetics, digital technology has become a relevant field of application in EDITORIAL problem-solving. For, beyond the desire to avoid ugliness that “does not sell”, to quote Raymond Loewy, the digital promise is so broad that the functions provided by design seem endless, giving the key players that own them the expectation of a substantial return on investment. Web giants have understood this by competing to attract users, customising their experience, influencing – as subtly and as substantially as possible – their behaviour, in all fields, from leisure to politics.