From redirected navigation to forced attention: uncovering manipulative and deceptive designs in augmented reality through retail shopping

In the near future ubiquitous Augmented Reality (AR) will see virtual spatial content seamlessly integrated into our everyday lives through fashionable, wearable devices such as AR glasses. In doing so, we will unlock the capacity for multiple stakeholders to augment and personalize our view of reality - not always to the benefit of users. Using speculative design, we explore the risks and repercussions of third party-driven AR-enacted manipulation and deception through the lens of supermarket grocery shopping - an activity where consumers are routinely tracked and exposed to manipulation of attention and purchasing decisions. Through a scenario generation activity, 20 participants (mixing both existing XR users and frequent shoppers) co-created 58 scenarios reflecting on how AR-driven manipulation or deception of shoppers could be enacted. Our results show that (1) manipulation, rather than deception, is the primary means of affecting consumer behaviour, necessitating we consider AR Manipulative and Deceptive Designs (MDDs) more broadly. Moreover (2), we highlight a) how known MDDs can manifest in AR, and b) four novel MDDs that are specific to AR: Redirected Navigation, Directed & Forced Attention Shifts, Reality Interference and Delayed and Detained. We reflect on the stakeholders that would manipulate consumer perception of reality, the different manipulations enacted across the lifecycle of consumer shopping, and the AR elements exploited to deliver these ARMDDs, deriving insights into future harms, ethics and safeguarding around ARMDDs to minimize their impact.