Tricked by Design

Hazel opened the Adobe website and hit the download trial button. She had been meaning to try Photoshop for some time now. Almost a week later, Hazel finally remembered that she needed to cancel, only to discover that cancelling isn’t as easy as just clicking a button. She was surprised to be trapped in a maze of menus, ‘Sorry to see you go’ messages and fake ‘How we can improve the service’ screens; designed not to get feedback but to make her give up. This is known as ‘hard to cancel’, a specific type of dark pattern. 

You have definitely encountered one form of a dark pattern yourself, as nearly 76% of all websites and apps offering subscriptions use at least one dark pattern (Sarah Perez, TechCrunch). But as with many things, “forewarned is forearmed”, Dr. Harry Brignull told me. He in fact coined the term dark pattern in 2010 and is the founder of Deceptive Design, a library and information source on all things deceptive online. Let’s go over how to spot a dark pattern and a bit more on what they actually are. So you know what to look out for the next time you’re clicking sign up.

You may be wondering: What is a dark pattern or deceptive pattern exactly? It’s a broad term to describe an interaction that is created to nudge the user into something they didn’t intend to do. Dr. Alex Beattie, a communications researcher, explains how dark patterns are designed to trick people into giving a site more data or staying subscribed for longer. As he puts it: “Dark patterns can undermine willpower”. One important side note: Web designers are tasked with coming up with the most user-friendly UI (user interface) possible. Sometimes, as Brignull points out “they are created by mistake” so are unintentionally a dark pattern. Originally designed with the goal of creating a smooth experience. Here are just a few deceptive patterns from the over 15 different ones.

The first type, which Hazel encountered, is called hard to cancel. It refers to a website which makes signing up very easy but cancelling as hard as possible. This pattern works by making users give up and just keep paying, maybe not for long, but those payments add up. However, hard to cancel isn’t the only trick websites use. Another very common pattern is fake urgency: I am sure you have come across an online shop with a huge ticking timer, right? Those timers are there to pressure you into buying something fast. Taking away your ability to think clearly and compare with different offers, or as Dr. Alex Beattie thinks, “undermining the intent of the user”. The last one I would like to tell you about is hard to believe, but still works: It’s called confirmshaming. This dark pattern makes people do something out of shame or guilt. Are you one of the 960 million people who have downloaded Duolingo? If you are, you might have noticed that if you don’t open the app in a week, it will present you with a pop-up of the Duolingo owl crying. 

By now, you’re probably realising that dark patterns are everywhere and that some elements of a website are designed to trick. So how can you avoid falling for them?

The issue with dark patterns is that they are designed to be hard to notice; after all, they are meant to deceive. Here are some tips to notice them: Learn about the different types, for example, at Deceptive Design. From reading this article, you already know some, but there are just too many to list here. Also, pay attention to what you are clicking, I know, sometimes you just rush through a website. Next time you are hurrying through the web, pause for a second. The more you look for them, the more you will see them. When you go to the checkout page look for hidden or pre-checked choices, like signing up to a newsletter. Additionally, watch out for manipulative language that is trying to guide you, like a button with: “No, I don’t like saving money". And lastly, check that you aren’t being misdirected into agreeing to something just because the button is bigger. For example, almost every website ever has a cookie banner, but you might see that not all are the same. Some have a reject button, others don’t. Some highlight one button while others don’t. Both those examples are dark patterns designed to add friction and make opting out harder. Spotting deceptive design is a great first step, but what can you do about it?

Some well-known websites actually get into trouble and have to pay fines. For smaller sites, sometimes just calling them out, like on social media or by adding them to Deceptive Design, can help others, and, as Brignull writes, make: “designers [...] act with more integrity”. Some countries like the US, UK and EU countries actually have laws banning the use of dark patterns (e.g. the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the EU and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act – Section 5 in the US). Yet, because of the sheer volume of websites, as Brignull explains in his book Deceptive Patterns, "The number of dark patterns has increased over time, particularly as companies learn from one another and adopt similar strategies to increase profits, user engagement or data extraction." (Chapter 2). To conclude, be wary of every click and watch out for red flags like ticking timers. As long as deceptive designs are used, people will always have to double-check what they are clicking and signing up to online. Awareness and reporting them is a first step to make companies realise they can’t trick people. 

Hazel was browsing for a new book the following week when suddenly a big ticking timer popped up in the corner, distracting her. But a moment later she realised this was a dark pattern, so instead of listening to her instinct she calmly checked the price on a different website, rather than impulse buying. Knowing what to look for made all the difference. Never again get tricked by design.

Written by Janosch Hussain. Thanks to Dr. Harry Brignull and Dr. Alex Beattie for answering all my questions.

Sources:

Perez, Sarah. “FTC Study Finds Dark Patterns Used by a Majority of Subscription Apps and Websites.” TechCrunch, 10 July 2024. Available at: techcrunch.com

Sherman, Natalie. “Software giant Adobe accused of 'trapping customers'.” BBC News, 18 June 2024. Available at: bbc.com

Stroink-Skillrud, Donata. “Why Your Cookie Consent Banner Must Include a Decline Option.” Termageddon, 27 February 2024. Available at: termageddon.com

Brignull, Harry. Deceptive Patterns: Exposing the Tricks Tech Companies Use to Control You. 2023. Book available at: deceptive.design.

Deceptive Design. Available at: deceptive.design

Wikipedia. “Dark Patterns”. Available at:  wikipedia.org

Curry, David. “Duolingo Revenue and Usage Statistics (2025)” Business Of Apps, 5 March 2025. Available at: businessofapps.com