You have been Nudged!
Designing for Awareness in Manipulation
Designing for Awareness in Manipulation
Role / UX Designer & Researcher working two peers
Timeline / 2 Days
Tools / Figma, Miro, Google Workspace, Notion, Adobe Illustrator
Timeline / 2 Days
Tools / Figma, Miro, Google Workspace, Notion, Adobe Illustrator
Problem
/ In today's ecosystems, users are subtly manipulated by urgency cues, influencer persuasion, and dark patterns, often without realizing it.
Solution
/ We designed a lightweight, personality-driven intervention that helps users recognize manipulative cues in the moment, without breaking flow. Through soft pop-ups, customizable filter modes, and guilt-free rejection paths, users regain a sense of agency and awareness
/ Reduced decision regret through real-time reflection.
/ Boosted digital literacy with playful, non-intrusive design.
/ Designed with accessibility, cognitive load, and ethical nudging in mind.
Problem
"You’re constantly being manipulated online without even realizing it."
Ads, influencers, and platform nudges subtly shape your choices, often against your best interests.
You scroll. You trust. You click. You regret.
By the time you realize you've been manipulated, it’s already too late.
Ads, influencers, and platform nudges subtly shape your choices, often against your best interests.
You scroll. You trust. You click. You regret.
By the time you realize you've been manipulated, it’s already too late.
What if you had a superpower they didn’t want you to have?
The awareness to spot online manipulation,
while it’s happening.
The Solution
Are you ready to play or be played?? > That “Hot Deal” looks good, doesn’t it?
> Go on, click it. Temptation is part of the test.
Your 3rd Eye picks something up. It’s a classic nudge: Fake urgency, flashy math, or maybe something sneakier.
Your 3rd Eye picks something up. It’s a classic nudge: Fake urgency, flashy math, or maybe something sneakier.
FLOW #1
Soft Awareness, No Pressure
When a user taps something that might be manipulating them,
Users immediately get a gentle heads-up: A small pop-up lets them know
If they want, they can open it for more details or just keep scrolling without interruption. The goal isn't to stop them — it's to help them notice. Because awareness alone is already empowering.
Users immediately get a gentle heads-up: A small pop-up lets them know
If they want, they can open it for more details or just keep scrolling without interruption. The goal isn't to stop them — it's to help them notice. Because awareness alone is already empowering.
FLOW #2
Quick Acknowledgement, No Guilt
When a user taps something suspicious, we surface the subtle nudge.
If they choose to dismiss it, we don’t punish or pressure, we let them scroll on, guilt-free.
A quick follow-up message reminds them: just noticing the pattern is already a win.
A quick follow-up message reminds them: just noticing the pattern is already a win.
Edge Case
/ In Stressful Moments, Users Lose Their Power. When users shop under stress, they're vulnerable
Flexible protection modes support different needs
Flexible protection modes support different needs
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Uasability
/ Awareness Widget pops up
Pop-up must be friendly and non-intrusive. A soft "heads-up," not an error or warning.
Pop-up must be friendly and non-intrusive. A soft "heads-up," not an error or warning.
/ Positive reinforcement on Reject
Dismissal should feel affirming, not like failure.
Dismissal should feel affirming, not like failure.
/ Different Modes
Switching between Glance, Aware, and Deep Scan must be fast, easy, and visible.
Switching between Glance, Aware, and Deep Scan must be fast, easy, and visible.
Accessibility
/ Accept/Reject Buttons
Buttons must be large, clear, and reachable. Easy to use with taps and keyboards.
Buttons must be large, clear, and reachable. Easy to use with taps and keyboards.
/ Gentle Haptic Feedback
Subtle vibration when a nudge is detected; a non-visual signal without interrupting flow.
Subtle vibration when a nudge is detected; a non-visual signal without interrupting flow.
/ Minimal Cognitive Load
Awareness pop-ups are lightweight: short sentences. No decision paralysis. No guilt spirals.
Awareness pop-ups are lightweight: short sentences. No decision paralysis. No guilt spirals.
Feasibility
/ Seeing report counts
Show report numbers using cached, periodically updated server data which is fast and lightweight.
Show report numbers using cached, periodically updated server data which is fast and lightweight.
/ Privacy of Reports
No personal data collected. Only log anonymous "report happened" events.
No personal data collected. Only log anonymous "report happened" events.
/ Filter Modes
Predefine alerts per mode: Glance (20%), Aware (70%), Deep Scan (100%)
Predefine alerts per mode: Glance (20%), Aware (70%), Deep Scan (100%)
Team
/ Sumit Gawali (sbg227@cornell.edu), Hrishika Jotwani (hjj28@cornell.edu), & Shreayaa Nadagudy Srinivasan (sn699@cornell.edu)
