Revealed or Reinforced: How Assistive Technologies Shape the Experience with Dark Patterns for Blind and Low-Vision Users

Abstract

Dark patterns have gained increasing attention among the HCI and design communities, but little is known about how they intersect with assistive technologies (ATs) and impact people with accessibility needs, such as blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals. To address this gap, we conducted an in-lab user study with 18 BLV participants using a custom-built social media application that embeds six common dark patterns. Through observing participant experiences with assigned tasks and semi-structured post-study interviews, we explored how screen readers and magnification tools influence the perception and amplification of deceptive design elements. In contrast to prior work that identified accessibility-induced deception, our findings demonstrate a dual role of ATs where dark patterns are either revealed or intensified. Screen readers exposed hidden manipulations like bad defaults but amplified other dark patterns through sequential reading. Similarly, magnifiers intensified deceptive effects through viewport reduction by restricting the visible area. We conceptualize this mechanism as assistive amplification and show how dark patterns manifest differently for BLV users, informing the design of more inclusive and manipulation-resistant interfaces.