Deceptive (dark) patterns: Are we helping or manipulating users?

In 2020, with the release of the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, many people learned for the first time that technology is not all sugar, spice, and everything nice. Unfortunately, if you stay long enough in the world of technology, you’ll learn that if you are not paying for the product, you are the product.

Today we are not going to talk about questionable practices related to only free apps and social media, but those used in online stores. You might agree that while wearing your “customer hat”, these practices make it quite annoying when you consider that you are not getting a free offer but spending your hard-earned money.

Deceptive Design: what is it?

In 2010, Harry Brignull, UX specialist and ethicist with a PhD in cognitive science, coined the term “dark patterns,” which has since been renamed “deceptive design patterns,” to refer to the “tricks used in websites and apps that make you do things that you didn’t mean to, like buying or signing up for something.”

More than once, we all have ended up thinking “Wait: what did I click?”

At the time of writing, Brignull defines 12 types of deceptive patterns you should know.

1. Trick questions: When filling out a form, the user is misled by a question that appears to ask one thing but actually asks another, resulting in an unintended answer.
2. Sneak into basket: During the checkout process, the store covertly adds an additional item to the user’s shopping cart, usually via a radio button or checkbox on a previous page.
3. Roach Motel: Getting into a situation, such as a premium subscription, is effortless, but getting out becomes a challenge.
4. Privacy zuckering: The user is tricked into disclosing more personal information publicly than intended. For context, this one is named after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
5. Price comparison prevention: The retailer makes it difficult to compare prices between similar items and prevents the user from making an informed decision.
6. Misdirection: The design intentionally diverts attention from one thing by drawing the user’s attention to another.
7. Hidden costs: At the final step of the checkout process, the user encounters unforeseen costs such as delivery or tax fees.
8. Bait and switch: The user intends to do something, but instead experiences an unwanted result.
9. Confirmshaming: The user is coerced into giving in by guilty wording of the opt-out option.
10. Disguised ads: The ads are camouflaged as other content or navigation to attract clicks.
11. Forced continuity: After a free trial period, the service silently charges the user’s credit card without warning, and sometimes canceling membership can prove to be intentionally challenging.
12. Friend spam: The product requests your email or social media credentials with the promise of a desirable outcome, but then spams your contacts with a message pretending to be from you.

Is this persuasive or deceptive?

As the famous saying goes, “the devil is in the details,” so we need to go a little bit deeper into this conversation. When we turn to the Nielsen Norman Group to shed some light on the subject, they add alongside Brignull’s definition: “[A deceptive pattern] is different than persuasive UX which nudges users without deception.” Considering this, we should keep in mind that deceptive patterns aim to confuse and exploit, while persuasive patterns are defined as trying to encourage taking actions by making it easier for users to make a decision that is consistent with their initial desires.

[…] we should keep in mind that deceptive patterns aim to confuse and exploit, while persuasive patterns are defined as trying to encourage taking actions by making it easier for users to make a decision that is consistent with their initial desires.

Consider the following example that uses gamification: Duolingo, a language learning platform, gives users badges that show the number of days they have completed lessons to persuade them to come back and keep learning, working as a great motivator, but it also added a feature that lets users buy “streak freezes” so they can miss up to two days without completing a lesson and keep the count. How many people out there do you think are willing to pay for a digital badge, that does not improve their quality of life in the slightest, just to feel accomplished?

You can share your progress and get gems, and maybe even afford a Streak Freeze for free.

It’s true that as UX designers, we need to think about what benefits the business (let’s face it, without a business paying for our work, we would not be here). So, when designing an experience, for the sake of the company’s long-term continuity and your peace of mind, start by considering the following questions to determine if your design is deceptive or simply persuasive:

• Is it clear what the user is giving consent to or what action they are taking?
• Does the design give the users a real choice or are they being manipulated into a particular action?
• Does the design use language and imagery that is truthful and accurate, or are there exaggerations or misleading statements?
• Does the design promote a positive user experience, or does it cause frustration or confusion?
• Could this undermine the users’ trust in the company?
• Would I be comfortable with my family and friends using this functionality (or design)?

That’s it for today. I hope that with this information you will be better prepared for the next time you find yourself in a User/Business dilemma and think about your relative that always seems to be manipulated by interfaces. Let’s continue to keep ethics in mind as we design and shape user experiences.

Craig, M. (2021, 20 October). The Danger of Dark Patterns (With Infographic). Toptal Design Blog. https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/dark-patterns

Deceptive Design. https://www.deceptive.design/

Potvin, P. (2021, 31 December). Ethics, UX, and our role in all this — UX Collective. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/ethics-ux-and-our-role-in-all-this-60617e4bd962

What is a streak? https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us/articles/204980880-What-is-a-streak-

What Makes a Dark UI Pattern? (Video). (s. f.). Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/videos/what-makes-a-dark-ui-pattern/