Technical Communication as Assemblage

You Shall Not Pass? The Design of Age Gates in an Emerging Cannabis Market

“…In these efforts, we can draw on principles of human centered design, which help assure “that the concerns, values, and perceptions of all stakeholders in a design effort are considered and balanced” (Rouse, 2007, as cited in Zachry & Spyridakis, 2016, p. 395). Human centered design has already shown considerable promise in health communications generally (e.g., Kopec, 2021; Nimmanterdwong et al, 2022), as well as the field of TPC specifically (e.g., Armfield et al, 2018; Jones, 2016; Putnam et al, 2016; Rose, 2016; Sims, 2022; Walton, 2016; Zachry & Spyridakis, 2016). There is thus good reason to believe that it can positively impact the design of age gates in controversial industries, cannabis included.…”

“…For instance, several years ago, Microsoft redesigned a notification screen that asked users if they would like to update to Windows 10. The "close" box not only closed the notification screen, however; it installed the update (Johnson-Eilola & Selber, 2022). Practices like these illustrate the importance of design ethics, including the principles of "human centered design," which seek to balance the needs, perceptions, and values of various stakeholders.…”

“…TPC researchers have also studied the choice architecture involved in web design, particularly the notion of nudges: “design strategies meant to push the user in a particular direction” (Verhulsdonck & Shalamova, 2020, p. 378). Nudges that encourage users to act against their own interests, fall for deceptions, or benefit the business only have been called “dark patterns,” which, in web design, are widespread (Johnson-Eilola & Selber, 2022; Trice & Potts, 2018; Verhulsdonck & Shalamova, 2020, p. 382; see also Mathur et al, 2019, 2021). Dark patterns range from prechecked checkboxes, which Mathur et al (2019, 2021) term “preselection,” to hiding important information or giving users a “bait and switch” (Trice & Potts, 2018, p. 4).…”