Dark patterns are deceptive design techniques used in websites and apps to trick users into making decisions they might not otherwise make, often benefiting the service provider at the user's expense. Here are more than ONE HUNDRED common dark patterns, which overlap.
A
Ambiguous Wording - Using vague or ambiguous language to make it difficult for users to understand the implications of their choices or the terms of a service.
Aggressive Upselling - Pushing additional purchases or upgrades aggressively during the checkout process or even after the purchase has been made.
Anchoring Discounts - Presenting a high initial price as an "anchor" to make a subsequent, slightly lower price seem more attractive, even if it's not a good deal.
Artificial Scarcity - Claiming that a product or offer is scarce or available for a limited time when it is not, to pressurize users into making quick purchases.
Artificial Urgency - Creating a false sense of urgency, such as "limited-time offers" or "only a few left," to pressure users into making hasty decisions.
Attention Diversion - Designing elements to distract users from important information, like privacy settings or opt-out checkboxes.
Auto-Renewal Ambush - Enrolling users in automatic renewal without making the terms clear, often leading to unexpected charges.
B
Back Button Hijacking - Modifying the functionality of the browser's back button so that it doesn't work as expected, often trapping the user on the site or leading them to an unwanted destination.
Behavioral Exploitation - Utilizing algorithms to analyze and exploit user behaviors and vulnerabilities for profit, such as promoting addictive usage.
Bait and Switch - Users are led to believe they will get one outcome by their actions, but a different, undesirable outcome happens instead.
Bundling Bait - Offering products or services as a bundle, where the user may only want one component, making it difficult to purchase items separately.
Burying the Lede - Hiding important information or unfavorable terms deep within text, making it less likely that users will find and understand them.
C
Camouflaged Advertisements - Ads designed to blend in with regular content, making it difficult for users to distinguish between the two.
Clickbaiting - Using sensationalist headlines or images to entice clicks, leading to content that doesn't fulfill the promised excitement or relevance.
Color Manipulation - Using color to mislead or misdirect the user's attention or to influence choices.
Confirm-shaming - Using negative language or guilt to steer users towards opting into something, such as subscribing to a newsletter.
Cookie Consent Fatigue - Designing cookie consent notifications in a way that is intentionally annoying or obtrusive, encouraging users to accept just to get rid of them.
Countdown Timers - Using fake countdown timers to create a sense of urgency for a sale or deal that isn't actually time-limited.
D
Data Monetization Guise - Offering features or incentives in exchange for personal data without making the data monetization aspect clear to the user.
Decoy Options - Adding options designed to be unappealing to make other options look more appealing by comparison.
Delayed Information - Withholding critical information until the user has made several steps in a process, potentially leading to a decision they might regret.
Disguised Ads - Advertisements designed to look like other kinds of content or navigation, in order to get users to click on them.
E
Emotional Exploitation - Leveraging emotional cues to manipulate users into making hasty or ill-advised decisions, such as using fear or sympathy.
Endless Scrolling - A design that keeps refreshing content or adding distractions to keep the user engaged indefinitely, often leading to unintended extended use.
Exaggerated Value Propositions - Overstating the benefits or value of a product or service to lure users into making a decision based on inflated expectations.
F
False Hierarchy - Presenting options in a way that implies a certain choice is better or more popular than it actually is through misleading design cues.
Forced Continuity - When a free trial ends, and the company starts charging the user without an explicit agreement or a reminder.
Forced Microtransactions - Encouraging or requiring in-app purchases by making the free version of an app frustratingly limited or difficult to use.
Forced Registration - Requiring users to create an account to access basic functionality or information, often as a means to collect personal data.
Forced Social Sharing - Requiring users to share content on social media to access certain features or content, leveraging their social networks for free marketing.
Friend Spam - The product asks for your email or social media permissions under the guise of a beneficial feature, then spams your contacts without clear consent.
G
Gamified Misdirection - Using game-like elements or rewards to direct users away from less favorable terms or to encourage engagement with unwanted features.
Gated Offers - Offering something desirable behind a gate of undesired actions, like sharing personal information, agreeing to receive newsletters, or viewing ads.
Gatekeeping Information - Restricting access to critical information or features until users perform a specific action, such as signing up or providing personal data.
Ghost Buttons - Using visually less prominent buttons for less preferred actions (like declining an offer) making them harder to find or select, in contrast to the preferred action.
Glittering Generalities - Using vague, attractive, but ultimately meaningless phrases to lure users into accepting terms or making purchases without providing substantial information.
Gradual Engagement Trap - Encouraging users to invest time or data gradually, leading them deeper into a service until they're reluctant to leave because of their investment.
Guilt-Tipping - A play on "guilt-tripping," where users are made to feel guilty for not taking an action, like making a donation or tipping, often through manipulative messaging.
Guised Choices - Presenting options in a way that disguises the full consequences of a choice, leading users to make decisions that may not be in their best interest.
H
Hidden Benefits - Obscuring certain benefits or features that might lead users to opt out or refuse a service if they were more prominently displayed.
Hidden Costs - Prices are initially shown without all the fees, taxes, or shipping costs, which are revealed only at the last step of the checkout process.
Hidden Loyalty Penalties - Penalizing long-term users with worse deals or services compared to what is offered to new users, without clear disclosure.
Hidden Options - Essential choices or alternatives that are hidden from the user or made difficult to find.
Hidden Unsubscribe - Making the process to unsubscribe from emails or services difficult to find or unnecessarily complicated.
I
Incomplete Disclosure - Providing only a partial view of the necessary information, leading users to make uninformed decisions.
Infinite Loop Navigation - Designing website navigation in such a way that users find it difficult to exit or find the information they seek, keeping them on the site longer.
Intentional Complexity - Making processes unnecessarily complex to discourage users from changing settings, canceling subscriptions, or understanding terms.
Interference - Using pop-ups, interstitial ads, or other intrusive content to disrupt the user’s workflow or content consumption.
J
Junk Information Overload - Bombarding users with irrelevant information or options to distract them from important choices or hidden terms.
Just-in-time Misdirection - Introducing distractions or misleading information at the moment of decision-making to sway choices unfavorably.
K
Kept in the Dark - Deliberately keeping users uninformed about cheaper options or better alternatives to the product or service they're considering.
Knotty Navigation - Complicating navigation to trap users in certain flows, making it difficult to find cancellation options, settings, or to opt-out of services.
L
Last-minute Bait Switch - Changing the terms, price, or conditions of a deal at the last moment, banking on the user's commitment to follow through.
Lead Astray - Using design elements to lead users away from making informed choices, such as hiding important details or making the opt-out process exceedingly complex.
Limited Time Deception - Falsely claiming an offer is limited-time to pressure immediate action when, in reality, the offer is continuously available.
Link Baiting - Using misleading links that appear to lead to one thing but redirect users to something else, often unrelated or less desirable.
Locked-in Syndrome - Creating conditions where users are locked into a service or subscription with no easy exit, through auto-renewals or hidden cancellation processes.
Looped Commitment - Encouraging users to repeatedly commit to a service or product through a loop of incentives that are difficult to escape without losing perceived value.
Low-Stock Pressure - Suggesting that a product is in limited supply to encourage a quick purchase, even when it's not true.
M
Misdirection - Design elements or wording that focus the user's attention away from important information or choices that the user might prefer.
Misleading Autofill - Designing forms in such a way that autofill inputs the user's information in an unintended manner, often leading to mistakes or oversharing of information.
Misleading Headlines - Using headlines or calls to action that imply a different outcome or action than what actually occurs.
Misleading Navigation - Designing navigation elements in a way that misleads users about their actual function or destination.
N
Nagging - Repeatedly prompting users to take an action (like downloading an app or signing up for a newsletter) despite previous refusals.
Negative Option Billing - Assuming consent for additional charges unless the user explicitly opts out, often buried in the fine print or obscured in the user flow.
Non-transparent Algorithms - Obscuring how algorithms work, leading to user manipulation or the promotion of certain products/services without clear justification.
O
Obstruction - Making a process more difficult than it needs to be, with the intention of discouraging certain actions, like cancelling a subscription.
Opt-Out Hurdles - Making the process to opt-out of services or subscriptions significantly more difficult than opting in.
Overemphasis - Highlighting less important information or features to distract from more critical, less favorable details.
P
Path of Least Resistance - Designing interfaces in a way that the easiest path leads to the user making a decision in the service provider's favor.
Phantom Charges - Adding charges to a bill or transaction with vague descriptions, making it hard for users to understand what they're paying for.
Post-Purchase Upselling - Aggressive upselling tactics after a user has made a purchase decision, sometimes leading to confusion and unintended additional purchases.
Predatory Lending Practices - Offering financial products with terms that exploit users, particularly those who may not fully understand the implications.
Preselected Opt-ins - Automatically opting users into choices, like newsletters or data sharing, requiring them to opt-out actively.
Price Comparison Prevention - Making it hard for users to compare the price of an item with another item, so they cannot choose the cheaper option.
Privacy Zuckering - Encouraging users to share more personal information than they actually intended to, named after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Variants include Privacy Baiting and Privacy Invasion.
Psychological Pricing - Using pricing strategies that make a product appear cheaper than it is, such as $9.99 instead of $10, to manipulate purchasing decisions.
Purposeful Obscurity - Making it hard to find essential information or options, such as customer service contacts or cancelation procedures.
Q
Quick Consent Coercion - Designing interfaces in a way that pressures users into quickly giving consent without fully understanding the implications, often through the use of urgency tactics or obfuscated language.
Quota Manipulation - Misleading users about limitations or quotas (such as data usage or storage limits) to push them towards higher-cost plans or unnecessary upgrades.
R
Re-engagement Traps - Using notifications or emails to lure inactive users back into an app or service, often leading to unexpected consequences or commitments.
Regrettable Defaults - Setting default options that users are likely to regret, such as opting them into sharing data by default, relying on user inertia or oversight to avoid changing these settings.
Repetition Compulsion - Repeatedly presenting the same offer or notification to users, exploiting the psychological principle that repetition may eventually wear down the user's resistance.
Reward Erosion - Gradually decreasing the value of rewards or benefits over time, banking on users' habituation to a service and reluctance to leave once invested.
Reward Hijacking - Offering rewards or benefits that are difficult to claim or come with unexpected conditions, diminishing their value.
Rigged Recommendations - Presenting personalized recommendations that serve the platform's interests more than the user's, such as promoting higher-margin products or services.
Roach Motel - Making it easy to get into a situation (such as signing up for a service) but hard to get out of it (such as unsubscribing).
Roadblock Removal - Making it easy to sign up for a service or subscription but placing obstacles in the way of cancelling or opting out, akin to a "roach motel" but focused specifically on the cancellation process.
Rolling Hoops - Forcing users to jump through multiple hoops to accomplish what should be simple tasks, such as cancelling a subscription or deleting an account, to discourage completion of the task.
S
Selective Disclosure - Providing information in a way that intentionally omits or hides critical details that might dissuade a user’s decision.
Selective Timing - Choosing specific times to make changes or announcements, aiming to minimize user attention or backlash.
Sensory Overload - Using excessive visuals, sounds, or animations to overwhelm the user, distracting from important choices or information.
Shadow Choices - Presenting options in a way that overshadows less beneficial choices for the user but more profitable ones for the provider.
Siloing Information - Organizing information in a way that prevents users from seeing the whole picture, leading to piecemeal or partial understanding.
Skip This Deal - Making the option to decline an offer difficult to find or requiring the user to refuse multiple times.
Sludge - Adding friction to processes where users might want to opt-out, return a product, or decline a service, thereby discouraging the action.
Sneak into Basket - Items are added to your shopping cart without your explicit consent, often through pre-checked boxes or fine print.
Social Proof Manipulation - Using fake or manipulated reviews, testimonials, or social media posts to create a misleading impression of popularity or quality.
Stealth Subscriptions - Offering a product or service that seems to be a one-time purchase but enrolls the user in a subscription without clear consent.
Subscription Traps - Making it unclear that a purchase will enroll the user in a recurring subscription, often with difficult cancellation processes.
Switching Costs - Designing products or services in such a way that switching to a competitor is made difficult or costly for the user.
T
Token Resistance - Offering a token form of resistance to user actions (like unsubscribing or deleting an account) designed to make users second-guess their decision.
Trick Questions - Using confusing wording to trick users into choosing an option they wouldn't normally choose.
U
Undisclosed Sharing - Implicitly sharing user data with third parties without explicit consent or clear disclosure.
Unfair Default Options - Pre-selecting options that are not in the user's best interest, relying on user inattention to gain consent.
Unfair Exchange - Encouraging users to provide significant personal information or permissions in exchange for minor benefits.
Unsubstantiated Claims - Making broad or vague claims about a product or service without evidence, to enhance its appeal based on unfounded assertions.
V
Value Implication - Implying that a product or service offers more value than it actually does through misleading comparisons or descriptions. Also called Exaggerated Value Propositions.
Visual Interference - Using distracting visuals or animations to draw attention away from important choices or information.
W
Whispered Terms - Making critical terms and conditions difficult to find or understand, akin to "whispering" them away from the main user interaction points, encouraging users to agree without full comprehension.
Widget Misplacement - Strategically placing widgets, such as subscription boxes or consent buttons, in locations where users are likely to click them accidentally or out of frustration.
Wild Goose Chase - Sending users on a convoluted path to find essential information or to complete a desired action, such as unsubscribing from a newsletter, effectively discouraging the completion of the task.
Window Dressing - Beautifying or overly simplifying interfaces to distract from less favorable terms, fees, or options that are disadvantageous to the user.
Withholding Information - Deliberately withholding critical information until the last possible moment, or making it accessible only through navigating multiple layers of menus or pages.
Wizardry - Guiding users through a series of steps or decisions that lead to an outcome they wouldn’t have chosen independently.
Worrymongering - Instilling unnecessary worry or fear about missing out, security, or potential problems to coerce users into unnecessary purchases or subscriptions.
X
X-Factor Fabrication - Creating an illusion of exclusivity or a special feature (the "X-Factor") that doesn't offer real value, misleading users into believing they're getting something unique or superior.
X-Marks Misdirection - Designing elements that draw the user's attention away from important information or choices, similar to misdirection but with a focus on visual design tricks that lead users astray.
Y
Yes Chaining - A series of leading questions or prompts designed to get users to keep saying "yes," culminating in a commitment or opt-in they might not have otherwise agreed to.
Yield Baiting - Presenting an initial offer or benefit that seems too good to refuse, only to replace it with less favorable terms after the user has begun the engagement process.
“You are running out of time” - Creating a false sense of urgency by suggesting that a deal or opportunity is about to expire.
Z
Zealous Interruption - Excessive notifications, pop-ups, or interstitial ads that interrupt the user experience, pushing the user towards making a decision or engagement they hadn't intended.
Zero-Option Cornering - Presenting users with a situation where they feel they have no choice but to comply, such as agreeing to data collection or making a purchase, due to the lack of viable alternatives presented.
Zero-Sum Games - Presenting options in a way that suggests users must lose something in order to gain in another area, often misleadingly.
These examples illustrate how dark patterns exploit psychological vulnerabilities and design principles to manipulate user decisions and actions, often prioritizing business interests over user consent and clarity. Awareness and regulation of dark patterns are increasing as their impact on consumer rights and privacy becomes more widely recognized.