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PDFOpen Access (License Unspecified), Open Access
Thesis
Educating users to resist deceptive patterns through game-based learning
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Sep 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011171
Abstract
Dark UX patterns, also called deceptive patterns, are manipulative design strategies that push users into actions against their best interests. Found in over 90% of popular apps and websites, these patterns exploit cognitive biases and decision fatigue, undermining user autonomy and eroding trust (Di Geronimo et al., 2020). While regulatory and design-centered interventions have been proposed, few efforts directly educate users to recognize and resist manipulation. This thesis addresses that gap by testing whether a game-based educational tool can enhance digital literacy around dark UX patterns. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combined surveys (N = 32), semi-structured interviews (N = 5), and a five-module interactive game tested with participants who completed both pre- and post-surveys (N = 30). Findings reveal a clear gap: while users could often sense that an interface was manipulative (63.8% recognition accuracy), they struggled to label the specific pattern (38.2% identification accuracy). After gameplay, participants showed measurable improvement in identifying particularly challenging patterns such as preselection, confirmshaming, and forced action. Despite frequent in-game errors, most rated the intervention highly, suggesting that mistakes became part of the learning process. These results highlight the potential of game-based learning to shift users from vague suspicion to informed resistance, complementing regulation and ethical design in reducing susceptibility to digital manipulation.
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Details
- Title
- Educating users to resist deceptive patterns through game-based learning
- Creators
- Lianna Mengli Wang
- Contributors
- Troy Finamore (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- x, 90 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Digital Media; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991022093155104721