What are Dark Patterns?
- Example of a Dark Pattern: ‘The Gruen Transfer’
- Dark Patterns are design techniques that are intended to mislead and manipulate.
- Dark Patterns might be found in any environment in which a consumer navigates a potential purchase.
- Consumers may or may not recognise a Dark Pattern.
- However, if a consumer does recognise a Dark Pattern they will see it for what it is and resent it.
What are Persuasive Patterns?
- Not all design techniques that are intended to affect a consumer's purchasing decision are Dark Patterns.
- There are legitimate ways to employ psychology to encourage consumers to make purchases.
- Example of a Persuasive Pattern: Retailers like Amazon drive sales by recommending additional products to consumers based on the products they have viewed and previously purchased.
Dark Patterns vs Persuasive Patterns
- Difference between a Dark Pattern and a Persuasive Pattern:
- A Dark Pattern manipulates
- A Persuasive Pattern informs and encourages
- While consumers may struggle to identify where the line between persuasive and dark lies, as Web Developers we need to understand where the line is.
- Let’s look at some examples of Dark Patterns online and see what we can do instead
Roach Motel
A roach motel is a service that is easy to sign up for but difficult to cancel. An example is an online subscription that can only be cancelled by phone.
Instead
Make it easy for customers to unsubscribe from their account pages. Consider offering a retention package to persuade them to stay before making their final decision.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Hidden Costs
Hidden costs aren't disclosed until a purchase is nearly complete. These might include shipping, service fees, or poorly defined "convenience fees".
Instead
Show the total cost in the shopping cart at all times. Most customers are perfectly willing to accept these fees when disclosed upfront but dislike secrecy.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Nagging
Nagging occurs when a site repeatedly interrupts customers with an ad or a call to action. Examples include pop-ups, auto-playing audio or video, or anything else that distracts users from what they came to the site to do.
Instead
Delay pop-ups until customers have been on the site for at least a few minutes. Even better, show the pop-ups on the bottom right or left corner of the screen so the customer can continue whatever they're doing without distraction.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Disguised Ads
Disguised ads are advertisements designed to blend in with the rest of an interface in order to trick customers into clicking them. For example, making an advertisement button look exactly like the host website's call-to-action button.
Instead
Distinguish ads clearly so that customers will recognize them for what they are. Tricking customers into clicking ads will only frustrate them.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Interface Interference
Interface interference is designing an interface to prioritize or preselect certain actions. An example of this is preselecting an option to be contacted by the company, which requires customers to recognize that they need to deselect it. Sometimes these preselections are hidden in a drop-down menu.
Instead
Show all options and allow customers to make their own decisions and selections.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Forced Action
Forced action is similar to interface interference, except customers don't get a choice in the matter. For example, making a customer submit an email address in order to use a website.
Instead
Let customers decide whether or not they want to give away personal information in exchange for a service.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Basket Sneaking
Basket sneaking is the practice of adding items to a shopper's cart that they didn't select themselves. For example, a customer might be shopping for cosmetic items, only to find out that extra sample products were added for $5 each.
Instead
Present additional items as suggestions on the shopping cart page and allow them to be easily added to the order before the final checkout.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Privacy Deception
Privacy deception involves tricking people into sharing more information than they intended to. For example, a company may request personal information under the guise of improving the customer experience – while neglecting to disclose all the ways that information will be used.
Instead
Be transparent about what information you need or want from customers.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Confirm Shaming
Confirm shaming attempts to use guilt as a way to make customers comply. For example, phrasing the option to unsubscribe from a discount mailing list as "No, I REALLY hate saving money".
Instead
While the goal of this type of copy is to be funny and snarky, it can seem condescending and offend some customers. Matter-of-fact language, such as "You have been unsubscribed", will suffice.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Price Comparison Prevention
This is the act of preventing customers from being able to compare prices, making it difficult for them to make informed decisions. For example, forcing a customer to add an item to their shopping cart to see the cost, leaving them vulnerable to accidentally purchasing it later if they forget to remove it.
Instead
Show the benefits of plans and services, and make pricing transparent. Hiding prices will inevitably make customers unhappy.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Trick Questions and Ambiguity
Deceptive website copy is worked in a way to confuse customers into making decisions they don't want to make. For example, loading a sentence with double and triple negatives to obscure whether the right answer is yes or no.
Instead
Write copy in plain, straightforward language.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Bait-and-switch
Bait-and-switch is when a company presents one option to entice customers and then replaces it with something else of lower value or higher cost. An example is an advertisement depicting a discounted fully loaded smartphone that leads to a product page for a more basic option that costs extra to upgrade because the advertised model is "no longer available".
Instead
Make interactions and offers lead to outcomes that customers expect. Be honest about product or service availability and features.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Forced Continuity
Forced continuity is a common headache: Customers gin up for a free trial and are automatically charged once the once trial ends, often without notice. This is often used in combination with the roach motel.
Instead
Notify customers when their trials have expired and let them choose whether to continue subscribing. Don't renew the service until customers confirm their choice to continue.
Text and image Credit: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns
Why We Shouldn't Use Dark Patterns
- Ethical reasons:
- We instinctively know it's wrong and as Web Development professionals it is not behaviour we should engage in.
- Legal reasons:
- We might be violating the law and this might lead to penalties.
- Impacts on findability
Impacts on Findability
- What's going to happen if we engage in these behaviours?
- What are our website's customers/visitors going to do?
- What will be the effect?
- What will be the flow-on effect be?
Customers Abandon Websites that Utilise Dark Patterns
- Customers/visitors leave and don't come back.
- The website gets a bad reputation.
- The website's traffic reduces.
- The website's ranking on SERPs reduces.
- The website receives less new traffic.
- May become a vicious cycle leading to the death of the website.
What We Should Do Instead
- Design websites that are easy to navigate and use.
- Facilitate customers/visitors completing the actions that brought them to the website in the first place.
- Use Persuasive Patterns:
- Give customers a reason to not cancel products or services.
- Encourage customers/visitors to buy additional products that are relevant to them.
- Always look for Win-Win solutions.
References
Brignull, H., Leiser, M., Santos, C., & Doshi, K. (2023). Types of deceptive pattern. Retrieved from Deceptive Patterns: https://
Craig, M. (2021, October 20). The Danger of Dark Patterns. Retrieved from Toptal: https://
Moloney, D. (2011, December 13). What is the Gruen transfer? Retrieved from Small Business Planned: http://
Rees, B. (2017, April 12). Persuasive Design: Using Advanced Psychology Effectively. Retrieved from Toptal: https://
Stefani, W. (2023, January 23). Dark Patterns Examples - Recognizing Manipulative Marketing and Design. Retrieved from Raidboxes: https://
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