These are great examples of dark patterns, but the conclusion that designers should appoint themselves user representatives is dangerous and self-aggrandizing.
Companies should be user focused... if your business or product metrics aren't aligned with user value, try to fix that or leave. Declaring yourself liberated from metrics, planning processes, or other structure because you are the user advocate at the table is so unproductive -- whether it comes from a designer, a sales person, or anyone else.
At the very very least, if you are going to claim authority for advocating for the user, you should be held to the same standards as PMs (should be): do user research, be data driven, and make the outcomes of your research useful to other people in doing their jobs.
Companies should be user focused... if your business or product metrics aren't aligned with user value, try to fix that or leave. Declaring yourself liberated from metrics, planning processes, or other structure because you are the user advocate at the table is so unproductive -- whether it comes from a designer, a sales person, or anyone else.
At the very very least, if you are going to claim authority for advocating for the user, you should be held to the same standards as PMs (should be): do user research, be data driven, and make the outcomes of your research useful to other people in doing their jobs.