Deception in UX Part 1: An Introduction to Dark Patterns

What is a Dark Pattern?

A Dark Pattern is an element of user interface or user experience design that is carefully planned and crafted to trick users into doing what is in the best interest of a company – not the user. Some examples of this include tricking users into interacting with an ad they thought was part of an interface or a game. Another example might be getting a user to sign up for recurring payments for a product or a service. The project that first introduced me to Dark Patterns – and put my professional ethics to the test was a product designed to download and install a piece of software – and trick users into installing additional “phantom” software in the process.

One of the most basic and familiar examples of a dark pattern is the “opt-out” method of engagement. Have you ever filled out a form and rather than adding options by checking a box you are required to remove the options by unchecking a box? That is what dark patterns are at their most basic level.

Why Are Dark Patterns Used?

Those who don’t understand dark patterns might think they have made an inadvertent error or misunderstood something. What they don’t know is that someone very strategically designed each and every interaction to guide that “error” and mislead users into doing something they didn’t intend to. Dark Patterns are deeply rooted in complex psychology and most definitely don’t have a user’s best interests in mind.

Often times the motivation for using dark patterns is top-down pressure to increase revenues or meet business goals with a silent “at all costs” attached to the end of the project goals. This puts so much pressure on a working team that they tend to let basic ethical red flags slip through the cracks.

Why Do Dark Patterns Matter?

At the end of the day, we find that dark patterns result in short-term gains but yield long-term losses. When pursuing what is best for your brand, we need to keep in mind that great brands are liked and trusted by customers. Dark patterns are created with the intention to deceive and while deception is many times quite effective, it is most often not permanent.

Want more information on Dark Patterns? Check back in the coming months for Part 2 and 3 of our Deception in UX Series!