A Temporal Dark Patterns Audit of McDonald's Self-Ordering Kiosk Flow
12 hours ago
- #self-ordering kiosks
- #human-computer interaction
- #dark patterns
- Self-ordering kiosks (SOKs) in fast food restaurants enhance efficiency but may include manipulative dark patterns.
- The paper audits McDonald's self-ordering kiosk in Germany using the Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns (TADP) framework.
- Identified dark patterns include adding steps, false hierarchy, bad defaults, hiding information, pressured selling, visual prominence, confirmshaming, scarcity framing, feedforward ambiguity, emotional sensory manipulation, and partitioned pricing.
- The study highlights how these patterns accumulate in the interaction flow, amplified by the kiosk's linear task structure and physical context.
- Suggests hybrid physical-digital interfaces need closer scrutiny in regulatory discussions on dark patterns.