Re:Dark Patterns – User Interfaces Designed to Trick People ...
by nilved on Tuesday December 06, 2016 @07:56PM
(#13119671)
Maybe using a dark pattern here is an effective way to fight fire with fire, but that doesn't make it less of a dark pattern.
Re:Dark Patterns – User Interfaces Designed to Trick People ...
by srstanic on Thursday December 08, 2016 @09:24AM
(#13130411)
Users with negative experience are more inclined to leave a rating than users with a positive experience, which makes the ratings not reflecting the reality of the overall user experience in the first place. (http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/232559/The_Mobile_Marketers_Gu...)
This technique is a genuine way to encourage sharing positive experiences about the app. In the same time, it offers a chance to the app provider to improve a bad user experience.
Whether it's a dark pattern or not, I think really depends on the motives, are you genuinely trying to make the app better or are you only interested in the people's perception of it.
Here is a great article on the topic which discusses the same issue: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/06/a-better-way-to-req...
I can see how you'd see this as providing a positive bias, but I see it more like getting a chance to see if you can't help the customer out before they give up on your app. It also reminds the customer that there are people on the other end - so even if the issue can't be resolved, and you still get a one-star rating, the level of vitriol seems likely to be reduced - something all too easy to forget when angry-reviewing.
Of course if they just take the feedback and dump it, that's a different story - but again, I would think anyone with that experience would still leave the negative review.
TL;DR - too many downloaders use negative reviews as a combination support request and cudgel. I think this is a reasonable defense against that.