Yesterday, you took out the ultimate sock savings subscription online without actually registering it. How did that happen? You were manipulated with a dark pattern in an online shop.
Dark patterns are user interface or design elements or processes that companies use to manipulate customer behavior. We are manipulated on a daily basis, not only online but also offline and don't even notice it.
Or have you never asked yourself why there are only a few bottles of this wine left in the supermarket? All of a sudden, you choose exactly this bottle. After all, it must be good if there are only a few bottles left... right?
Dark patterns place the (mostly economic) interests of the company above those of the user and are intended to get the user to do something that he did not want to do. For this purpose, various techniques are used which more or less clumsily ensure that important information is not noticed and therefore incorrect decisions are made by mistake.
Doesn't sound like a fair thing!
A dark pattern can be a warning in an online shop that uses a countdown to warn that an offer is about to expire. But it can also be a barely visible sign when paying that indicates that you are now taking out a sock subscription. A dark pattern doesn't have to be a visual element at all. It can also simply be an incredibly exhausting cancellation process that prevents you from deactivating your subscription again.
The problem with Dark Patterns isn't just that they're annoying — they can also be really damaging. They exploit human psychology for the sole purpose of making people act against their interests. This is unethical and may be illegal. Dark patterns are widely used — researchers analyzed about 53,000 product pages from 11,000 shopping websites and found that 11% of those investigated websites Have dark patterns that are aggressive, misleading, fraudulent, and potentially unlawful...
Dark patterns make customers dissatisfied and cause them to lose trust in a company.
As designers It is our job to explain to our clients what dark patterns are and why it is unwise to use them. For example, a client might think they can increase customer loyalty and profit by making it harder for their users to cancel their subscriptions. In this case, it is the designer's responsibility to disagree and explain that this tactic is more likely to result in frustration and negative reviews.
Designers should always strive for transparent user experiences that enable customers to make their own decisions. It can be difficult to balance business goals with a great user experience, but dark patterns are never the right solution.
To remain ethically justifiable, designers can ask these questions:
What nasty tricks do we encounter most often in everyday digital life?
Spoiler: There are plenty of them! From countdown timers that create artificial pressure to annoying Pop-upswho want to push you to make ill-considered decisions. Let's take a closer look at the top Dark Patterns favorites:
“This shoe was just bought again! “Did he really do that? Activity notifications are often artificially generated information about a purchase, booking, or activity that has just taken place. This creates artificial pressure through the feeling of scarcity.
You're scrolling across a website and suddenly a pop-up pops up advertising a newsletter. You close it and after a few seconds, it pops up again. And again and again and again. This pattern is not considered dangerous, but it is annoying!
These two dark patterns are often combined. With the so-called Roach Motel (“Schaben Motel”), it is super easy to create an account or take out a trial subscription.
However, if you want to delete the account or cancel the subscription, it will be particularly difficult for you. To do that, you have to send an email, send a letter, or call directly. The main thing is complex in order to overcome as big a hurdle as possible.
In this pattern, a product is presented with two options, one of which is pre-selected. However, this option is not necessarily beneficial for you. A great example is the “Savings Subscription” feature.
Instead of just selling a single product, two options are offered here. The individual product and the “savings subscription”. The savings subscription is sometimes set as a pre-selection so that a subscription is concluded when you click on “add to shopping cart”. And now the deodorant comes monthly instead of just once.
In this pattern, important information and options are hidden or presented in such a way that they are barely noticeable. To see the information, you first have to click somewhere, look very closely or actively search for it.
Every newsletter email must allow you to unsubscribe. But just because you have to have the option, you don't have to make it visible right away! So the “unsubscribe” link is simply made invisible or almost invisible in the email.
With Confirshaming, you should be ashamed if you choose an option that is not in the interests of the company.
For example, if you want to unsubscribe from a newsletter, you must first click on “No, I don't want to save anymore.” These types of texts range from “No, I don't want any offers” to “I don't want to support a good cause.”
Only 2 pieces left! Only 4 hours until the offer expires! Artificial scarcity is being used to stimulate purchases. This can occur in a variety of ways:
We make decisions faster under pressure. The decision is then often made automatically only on the basis of the shortage. Nobody wants to miss out on a great deal after all..
Companies have always tried to manipulate us. The difference from the past is that our world and thus also the possibilities of manipulation have become more complex, faster and much more difficult to control.
Smart homes and voice assistants could give dark patterns new opportunities. The development of artificial intelligence could also make dark patterns even more individual, inconspicuous and suitable for mass use. And augmented reality will provide companies with even more data to integrate dark patterns into reality.
The challenge is that we, as customers, users and also as designers, must protect ourselves against dark patterns.
We must not be blinded by tempting offers and not just act on our gut feeling online. Because Dark Patterns is never about our advantage, but always about the advantage of the company.
Do you want to talk to our team about your project and just hear what we could do for you? Then simply book a free video call with us now!
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