Dark Pattern Design: What is it?
User experience (UX) designers refer to design features that purposefully mislead, fool, or manipulate users into performing actions they might not have otherwise taken as “dark patterns.”
These devious techniques, sometimes known as “Deceptive Pattern,” are used on websites and applications to get you to click on things or sign up for services you didn’t plan to. They are the cause of why it can be so challenging to unsubscribe from an email list or cancel a membership at times.
The onset of the “Dark Pattern”
Harry Brignull first used the term “Dark Pattern” in 2010. As a UX designer himself, Brignull sought to spread awareness about the unethical UX design techniques that frequently compromise the experience or consent of users in favor of business interests.
In order to demonstrate different examples and sorts of dark patterns, he even developed a website called deceptive.design (formerly darkpatterns.org), categorizing them in a way that both designers and regular internet users could comprehend.
While the name may be new, the practice has existed for as long as interactive systems have been created.
But as digital platforms and online enterprises have grown in popularity, so too has the use — and misuse — of dark patterns. It’s a big enough problem that even lawmakers are starting to pay attention.
Various Dark Patterns
Dark patterns can take many different shapes and have certain objectives, such as getting users to divulge their personal information or make unexpected purchases. Knowing the many kinds of dark patterns can make it easier for you to use online platforms more carefully and to choose your actions with more knowledge.
When you want to do one thing, but the design subtly changes the action, this is known as a bait-and-switch. As an illustration, you might click to close a window yet end up installing software.
Roach Motel: Roach Motels are places where people find it simple to enter a situation but difficult to leave it. Consider subscription services that only demand a single click to sign up for but a time-consuming process to cancel.
Advertisements that have been disguised to look like other types of information or navigation are intended to entice unintentional clicks.
snuck into the basket: When you finish your online shopping and go to the checkout, you discover that your cart now contains more products. These extras were covertly included without your knowledge or consent.
Trick Questions: These are alternatives or questions that are worded in a way that induce you to choose something you otherwise wouldn’t.
Confirmshaming is a design technique that makes you feel guilty for rejecting a service. For instance, “No, I don’t care about my health” may be an opt-out choice for a newsletter about exercise.
Privacy Zuckering is a strategy that deceives consumers into publicly sharing more information than they intended to. It is named after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. It’s typically buried deep under perplexing privacy settings.
Hidden Fees: Just as you’re about to complete a transaction, additional costs, like shipping or handling, surface, driving up the final price.
Misdirection: This is the process of diverting consumers’ attention from the proper focus, frequently to ambiguous costs, conditions, or acts they wouldn’t accept if fully informed.
It requires a deep understanding of the psychological concepts that dark patterns frequently abuse. Fundamentally, these designs exploit our human propensities, routines, and prejudices to influence us into decisions we might not have otherwise made.
Several illustrations of the psychological concepts underlying dark patterns are given below:
Scarcity Bias: We are more likely to want something if it seems to be in short supply. Dark patterns use timers that count down or statements that say there are “only a few left” to imply urgency.
We have a bias toward obeying those in positions of authority. We may be more likely to believe a product if it carries labels like “Editor’s Choice” or “Top Rated.”
Default Effect: When faced with difficult options, we’re more likely to choose the defaults. This idea is applied in some web forms to pre-select choices that can be advantageous to the business but not the user.
Social proof: We frequently let other people’s behavior or beliefs affect our own. This idea is abused by messages like “500 people are looking at this product” displayed on websites.
Metrics like better engagement, higher conversion rates, or more sales are frequently what motivate businesses and designers. employ these ideas to their advantage on purpose.
Ethics-related issues and criticism
Dark patterns actively influence users to make choices that they otherwise might not have taken, which raises serious ethical questions. In addition to compromising user autonomy, this can also result in money losses or the unintentional disclosure of private information.
When these dishonest techniques are used, the ethics of user experience design are called into question, making it a contentious topic among experts in the field.
The usage of dark patterns has drawn criticism from numerous parties. User advocates contend that these strategies breach the confidence that customers have in service providers, decreasing customer satisfaction and possibly hurting a company’s reputation over the long term.
The need for ethical concerns in design decisions is underscored by the increased attention from advocacy groups and policymakers.
Discreet Pattern Lawmaking
Legislators are becoming more conscious of the importance of addressing dark patterns. To address deceptive website and app design, the “Deceptive Experiences To Online Users Reduction” (DETOUR) Act was introduced in the United States.
Large internet platforms are subject to regulations under the law, which forbids them from misleading users into performing things they may not have intended to perform. Similar legislative initiatives are also in progress in other nations.
Such rules have important ramifications for both users and corporations. These rules provide users with additional layers of safety, enabling a more moral online environment.
However, for businesses, compliance may require a thorough evaluation and redesign of their customer engagement methods and user interfaces. While this could require a lot of resources, it also presents a chance for companies to win back customers’ confidence and develop enduring connections.
The conclusion
Dark patterns are deceptive design strategies applied to digital interfaces to persuade users to take actions that are advantageous to the company but not necessarily to the user. To discreetly sway behavior, they take use of psychological concepts like scarcity bias and authority prejudice.
Legislators are starting to address these problems with laws like the DETOUR Act, which seeks to shield users from dishonest practices, despite the fact that these strategies have been attacked for moral reasons.
Both people and businesses need to understand dark patterns. Users may make better selections online if they are aware of these strategies. Dark patterns may provide short-term benefits for firms, but they also hurt their reputation and long-term trust.
Digital environments will always play a significant role in our lives. A more moral and open online environment is facilitated by recognizing and combating dark trends.
