Deceptive patterns (dark patterns)
Interface designs that lead people to do something they didn't want to, like buying, subscribing or giving up data, by exploiting how we decide.
What problem it addresses
Explains why some interfaces get us to accept things we would turn down if we took our time.
An example
Two ways of offering a paid service at the end of a form.
The same offer and the same kind of people: only the design of the decision changed.
Why it happens
They exploit mental shortcuts such as haste, inertia or social pressure.
They hide or make costlier the option that best serves the person.
They work, which is why they have spread so widely.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Make accepting and declining take the same effort and read just as clearly.
Avoid
Hiding cancellation, preselecting extras or using guilt-tripping wording.
Don’t fall for it
Review your purchase and cancellation flows with someone outside the team: these patterns become normal without anyone noticing.
11% → 42%
What the research says
In an experiment with almost 2,000 people, acceptance of a paid service rose from 11% without manipulation to 26% with mild patterns and to 42% with aggressive patterns (Luguri and Strahilevitz, 2021).
Solid evidence. It's not just one experiment: a crawl of some 11,000 online stores found 1,818 instances of 15 different types (Mathur et al., 2019).
Connections
Authors and works
- 2010
Harry Brignull
Coined the term dark patterns and began cataloging them; in 2023 he collected them in the book Deceptive Patterns.
- 2019
Arunesh Mathur et al.
Measured how common they are across some 11,000 online stores.
- 2021
Jamie Luguri and Lior Strahilevitz
Measured how much they change people's decisions.
- 2022
US Federal Trade Commission
Its report “Bringing Dark Patterns to Light” grouped them into four types: those that create false beliefs, those that hide important information, those that lead to unauthorized charges and those that subvert privacy choices.
- 2022
European Union, Digital Services Act
Its Article 25 bans online platforms from designing or organizing their interfaces to deceive or manipulate people, or to impair their ability to make free and informed decisions. It has applied since 17 February 2024.
Sources
Original sources
- Brignull, H. (2023). Deceptive patterns: Exposing the tricks tech companies use to control you. Testimonium. View source: Brignull, H. (2023)
- Mathur, A., Acar, G., Friedman, M. J., Lucherini, E., Mayer, J., Chetty, M., & Narayanan, A. (2019). Dark patterns at scale: Findings from a crawl of 11K shopping websites. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 3(CSCW). View source: Mathur, A., Acar, G., Friedman, M. J., Lucherini, E., Mayer, J., Chetty, M., & Narayanan, A. (2019)
- Luguri, J., & Strahilevitz, L. J. (2021). Shining a light on dark patterns. Journal of Legal Analysis, 13(1), 43–109. View source: Luguri, J., & Strahilevitz, L. J. (2021)
- Federal Trade Commission (2022). Bringing dark patterns to light. FTC Staff Report, September 14, 2022.
- Reglamento (UE) 2022/2065 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de October 19, 2022, relativo a un mercado único de servicios digitales y por el que se modifica la Directiva 2000/31/CE (Reglamento de Servicios Digitales). Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea, L 277, October 27, 2022. View source: Reglamento (UE) 2022/2065 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de October 19, 2022, relativo a un mercado único de servicios digitales y por el que se modifica la Directiva 2000/31/CE (Reglamento de Servicios Digitales)
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