Dark Patterns (also known as “Deceptive Patterns”) are clever tactics or tricks used in websites and apps, intentionally designed to that make Users do things that they might not want to, like purchasing things, disclose data or signing up for something. Dark Patterns are built into websites to manipulate people’s digital behaviour.

 

For instance, there are some websites that ask Users to sign up for a free trial but are required to enter credit/debit card information and there is no reminder to cancel it before the free trial ends. Consequently, users are automatically charged once the trial period ends. This dark pattern is known as “Forced Continuity”. Another example of Dark Pattern is “Hidden Costs”. Hidden costs are additional fees or charges that are not disclosed upfront but are instead revealed at the checkout page.

 

According to a survey, 67% of the users fall prey to dark patterns. Studies further reveal that certain user groups such as children, senior citizens or individuals with lower income are more vulnerable to dark patterns. These groups are likely to experience significant harm.

 

Dark Patterns manipulate users and this can lead to decrease in user trust and satisfaction. This loss of trust can be long lasting and damage the brand reputation. News, social media posts exposing these practices can spread quickly deteriorating brand image and credibility.

 

Although the dark patterns initially benefit the business by boosting sales or sign ups, but the boost they cause is not long lasting and results in losing loyal customers. For instance, dark patterns can lead to overspending or unwanted subscriptions or sign-ups to undesirables’ services and these may result in unhappy customers and cause them to lose trust in the business. Consequently, this loss of trust may result in losing the loyal customers. For example, a website might make it difficult to unsubscribe the newsletter, and leading users continue receive unwanted mails. This can be frustrating for users and results in negative user experience. Dark Patterns equals bad customer experience and bad customer experience equals loss of customers.

 

Furthermore, the use of dark patterns can also lead to legal consequences. In some cases, the use of dark patterns may violate consumer protection laws or regulations, thereby exposing the organization to legal risks and potential fines or penalties. For example, suppose a company’s terms of service or privacy policy clearly states that user data will not be shared with the third parties without consent, yet using dark patterns to trick users into unknowingly providing consent, the company could be in breach of its contractual obligations.

 

While using dark patterns seems like the most convenient approach to fulfil short-term goals, it ultimately has adverse effects on the user experience and diminishes user’s trust and satisfaction for the products and brands and may damage the brand reputation. Therefore, it is important to avoid dark patterns and instead focus on creating user-centric and transparent design to build positive relationship with the customers and maintain their trust in the brands.