Kate Linton

Kate Linton Head of Design Thoughtworks

Dark Patterns and How to Avoid Them

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Dark Patterns and How to Avoid Them

Consumers have increasingly been victim to the weaponisation of dark patterns online. Whilst governments are slow to act on consumer protection laws, technology moves quickly and we are seeing a whole new breed of subtle interactions designed to manipulate consumers into transactions and behaviours that are not in their best interests.

Australian laws are well behind the EU and America, but what can we expect from the upcoming changes to Australia’s Privacy Act? Will governments move quickly enough to protect consumers in the age of Generative AI, data breaches and cyber crime?

This talk will present some of the prevalent dark patterns today, their impact on society, and what you can do to avoid them, both in your life and in your work.

Kate Linton

Kate leads the Thoughtworks global design community. With a background in product design, user experience and customer strategy, she has led creative teams around the world. She works with product teams to create a consistent, intuitive and accessible customer experience.

Kate takes an empirical approach to design, incorporating research, data and regular testing.

She is a coach and mentor to designers and works with product teams to envision and design better digital products and services.

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