[s-shellfish]

The original design was flawed. The new design understands the problem (people did not see the sign). The design is fixed.

From there, intuition of how users interact with UX builds.

The author is relating a personal story that illustrates the building of interactive components, the process of understanding users, and the differing motivations behind design.

The elevator story is not an example of a dark pattern, but it illustrates the problem that comes with developing an awareness of how people think and interact with an interface. People can't have hyperfocus all the time, see through all intentions, be all knowing and all aware of every circumstance and event. Sometimes people are on autopilot, sometimes people take advantage of that.

A lot of digital services today continue to be developed with this aesthetic in mind.

[ezekg]

> … a handwritten message in the middle of the elevator doors that said, “Out of service!” This was the first time that I learned about dark patterns.

It’s confusing, because he literally says it’s a dark pattern. But it was really just better design for that particular problem.

[s-shellfish]

She (the author) jumped from what first sparked the understanding to the outcome of understanding how these things happen. It's not a bad thing in journalism. Sometimes, going step by step doesn't reveal the awareness to the audience that reads the literature.