Dark patterns and the endangerment of gen Z

Dark patterns in user experience design are a serious problem, my friends. These manipulative or deceptive interactions in user interfaces can trick users into unwanted behavior, causing harm to their trust and satisfaction with a product or service. They can also lead to frustration and confusion, as well as potential financial loss if users are tricked into making unwanted purchases.

But it’s not just the individual users who suffer from dark patterns. No, these deceptive tactics can also damage the reputation of a business. The use of dark patterns can lead to legal and ethical issues, and can harm the company’s reputation among all users.

Consider the common type of dark pattern known as the disguised ad. This is an ad that is presented as useful content in order to trick users into clicking on it. Can you imagine the damage that can be done by such deception? Users who fall for a disguised ad may feel betrayed and taken advantage of, leading to a loss of trust in the business.

Or what about the roach motel design pattern? Named after the popular brand of insect traps, a roach motel in user experience design is a user interface that makes it difficult or impossible for users to opt out of a service or cancel their subscription. The implications of this dark pattern are clear: users may be enrolled in a service that they don’t want, and then find it almost impossible to cancel. The damage to the business’s reputation in this situation could be devastating.

My friends, the use of dark patterns in user experience design is a serious problem that must be addressed. We must prioritize transparency and fairness in our interactions with users. We must provide clear and concise information, and give users clear options for opting in or out of services and subscriptions. Only by avoiding dark patterns can we create user experiences that are truly enjoyable and beneficial for all. The stakes are high, and the time to act is now.

Dark patterns are a pervasive problem in user experience design, and they must be addressed if we hope to create truly enjoyable and beneficial user experiences. All too often, designers use manipulative or deceptive tactics to trick users into unwanted behavior, causing harm to their trust and satisfaction.

But dark patterns don’t just harm individual users — they can also damage the reputation of a business. The use of dark patterns can lead to legal and ethical issues, and can harm the company’s reputation among all users. This is a serious problem that must be addressed.

To avoid using dark patterns in user experience design, designers must prioritize transparency and fairness. This means providing clear and concise information, and giving users clear options for opting in or out of services and subscriptions. By avoiding dark patterns, designers can help to create user experiences that are enjoyable and beneficial for all. It’s time to take a stand against dark patterns, and to create user experiences that are truly fair and transparent.

Gen Z should be aware that at least 10 dark patterns exist and you must be careful:

Here are ten examples of dark patterns in user experience design:

1. Disguised ads: ads that are presented as useful content in order to trick users into clicking on them.
2. Roach motels: user interfaces that make it difficult or impossible for users to opt out of a service or cancel their subscription.
3. Forced continuity: a pattern in which users are automatically enrolled in a service or subscription without their explicit consent.
4. Confirmshaming: using negative language or social pressure to make users feel guilty for not taking a desired action.
5. Misdirection: using visual cues or misleading language to guide users towards a desired action.
6. Friend spam: using a user’s personal information or contact list without their permission to recruit their friends or contacts to a service or product.
7. Dark patterns in email marketing: using manipulative tactics in email newsletters to trick users into taking desired actions.
8. Pre-checked boxes: automatically checking boxes on a form or agreement to opt users into a service or subscription without their explicit consent.
9. Hidden costs: hiding important information or additional fees until the final stages of a purchase or transaction.
10. Fake notifications: creating fake notifications or alerts to pressure users into taking a desired action.

Lets go through them all…

1. Disguised ads: Disguised ads are ads that are presented as useful content in order to trick users into clicking on them. For example, a website might have a download button that appears to be for a useful tool or resource, but when clicked, takes the user to an advertisement page instead. This can be harmful to users because it deceives them into thinking they are getting something valuable, when in fact they are being directed to an advertisement.
2. Roach motels: Roach motels, named after the popular brand of insect traps, are user interfaces that make it difficult or impossible for users to opt out of a service or cancel their subscription. For example, a website might have a subscription service with a “cancel” button that is hidden or hard to find, or that requires multiple steps or confirmation messages to complete. This can be harmful to users because it traps them in a service or subscription that they may not want, and makes it difficult for them to escape.
3. Forced continuity: Forced continuity is a pattern in which users are automatically enrolled in a service or subscription without their explicit consent. For example, a website might offer a free trial of a service, but automatically enroll the user in a paid subscription at the end of the trial period unless they take specific steps to opt out. This can be harmful to users because it enrolls them in a service or subscription without their explicit consent, and may result in unwanted charges or continued use of the service.
4. Confirm-shaming: Confirm-shaming is the use of negative language or social pressure to make users feel guilty for not taking a desired action. For example, a website might have a pop-up message that says “Are you sure you want to leave? Don’t you want to help save the environment?” when a user tries to close the page. This can be harmful to users because it manipulates their emotions and makes them feel guilty or ashamed for not taking the desired action.
5. Misdirection: Misdirection is the use of visual cues or misleading language to guide users towards a desired action. For example, a website might have a “submit” button that is a different color or size than the surrounding buttons, or that is positioned in a way that draws the user’s attention. This can be harmful to users because it manipulates their behavior and leads them to take an action that they may not have intended to take.
6. Friend spam: Friend spam is the use of a user’s personal information or contact list without their permission to recruit their friends or contacts to a service or product. For example, a website might invite a user to import their contacts from their email account, and then use those contacts to send promotional messages on the user’s behalf. This can be harmful to users because it violates their privacy and uses their personal information without their consent.
7. Dark patterns in email marketing: Dark patterns in email marketing refer to the use of manipulative tactics in email newsletters to trick users into taking desired actions. For example, an email newsletter might use urgent language or fake scarcity to pressure users into clicking on a link or making a purchase. This can be harmful to users because it manipulates their emotions and pressures them into taking actions that they may not have intended to take.
8. Pre-checked boxes: Pre-checked boxes are boxes on a form or agreement that are automatically checked, without the user’s explicit consent, to opt the user into a service or subscription. For example, a website might have a checkbox on a registration form that is pre-checked to opt the user into receiving promotional emails. This can be harmful to users because it enrolls them in a service or subscription without their explicit consent, and they may not realize that they have been opted in unless they carefully read the form or agreement.

Here are a couple of examples of pre-checked boxes:

• A website offers a free trial of a subscription service, and has a checkbox on the registration form that is pre-checked to enroll the user in the paid subscription at the end of the trial period.
• A website offers a discount on a purchase if the user opts in to receive promotional emails, and has a checkbox on the checkout page that is pre-checked to enroll the user in the email list.

9. Hidden costs: Hidden costs refer to the practice of hiding important information or additional fees until the final stages of a purchase or transaction. For example, a website might advertise a product at a low price, but then reveal additional fees or charges during the checkout process. This can be harmful to users because it misleads them about the true cost of a product or service, and they may end up paying more than they intended or expected.

Here are a couple of examples of hidden costs:

• A website advertises a subscription service at a low monthly rate, but then reveals during the checkout process that there is a one-time setup fee that is not included in the advertised price.
• A website advertises a product at a low price, but then reveals during the checkout process that the price does not include taxes or shipping charges, and the final price is significantly higher than the advertised price.

10. Fake notifications: Fake notifications are notifications or alerts that are created by the website or app, rather than by the user’s device or system, in order to pressure users into taking a desired action. For example, a website might display a pop-up notification that says “Your account will be deleted unless you confirm your email address” in order to pressure users into verifying their email addresses. This can be harmful to users because it manipulates their emotions and pressures them into taking actions that they may not have intended to take.

Here are a couple of examples of fake notifications:

• A website displays a pop-up notification that says “Your account will be suspended unless you update your payment information” in order to pressure users into updating their payment information.
• A website displays a notification bar at the top of the page that says “Only 5 items left in stock” in order to pressure users into making a purchase before the item runs out of stock.