Deceptive patterns are tricks used by websites to force or deceive you into doing something you didn’t mean to, typically involving a product or service the site owner is offering.
The term “deceptive patterns” (originally “dark patterns”) was coined by user experience consultant Harry Brignull several years ago. It is almost impossible to be a regular web user without running into them every day. They have become so widespread that they have multiple subcategories, some with outlandish names, such as Roach Motel and Privacy Zuckering.
Examples
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Hard to cancel, aka Roach Motel
“Easy to get into, difficult to get out of” A subscription of any kind where the user signs up online. It will typically have a well designed form that’s easy and convenient to use. But when the user wants to cancel the subcription, it can only be done by calling customer service, where they’ll be confronted with lengthy wait times, skilled retention experts, and so on.
A few years ago I signed up for a recurring donation to a local radio station. Part of their pitch was that “you can cancel or change your donation at any time.” This was true. What they didn’t tell you was that, while you could log in to your account to increase your donation, to cancel or even just reduce your donation, you had to call their customer service number.
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Comparison prevention
This is where a vendor offers similar products in various sizes and quantities, but makes it difficult to compare costs. In the example below showing two similar products, the unit cost of one is listed in pounds, the other in fluid ounces.
This is often used to steer the customer towards the vendor’s favoured product, even though it may not be the best value.
Why do it?
In the grand scheme of technology frustrations this may be relatively small, but the deceptive patterns site lists dozens of instances where these kinds of tricks cause people real harm or financial loss. Many of them are perpetrated by organisations that are otherwise reputable. So why do they do it?
If you study any deceptive pattern, you’ll see that it’s intentionally deployed to further a goal that benefits the site owner: to sell more products, to get more signups, to make it harder for existing subscribers to unsubscribe, and so on. But the user’s goal may be different from the site owner’s, so the latter makes the decision to tip the scales in their own favour. In most cases, the pattern isn’t illegal, and so a business-is-business mindset takes over.
The problem with this-leaving the ethical question entirely to one side-is that the pursuit of the short term victory comes at the expense of long term success. People eventually get wise to the shenanigans and, if they have a choice, they take their business elsewhere. This was the fate of a site called Experts Exchange, which used to appear on search results for many technical questions, but which presented the user with a signup box when they clicked on the relevant search result. The page in question was always accessible (otherwise it wouldn’t have appeared in the search results) yet it was set up to look as though you had to be a subscriber to view it.
The local radio station I mentioned above? I didn’t renew my subscription when my card expired (though I’m not a total monster and will probably subscribe again in the future).
Just say no to deceptive patterns
Let’s say a site owner tests out a deceptive pattern (for instance, an unsubscribe process that requires extra effort to complete). They discover that the deceptive pattern obstacle reduces unsubscriptions by a worthwhile amount (say, 5% or more).
Is it such a bad thing for them to deploy it? What’s the harm? Here are a few reasons for site owners to avoid deceptive patterns at all costs.
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The benefits are more apparent than the drawbacks
The benefits to the site owner (in this case, increased retention) are easily quantifiable – a simple A/B test will demonstrate them. However, the drawbacks are not nearly as apparent. Without extensive testing, it’s difficult for a site owner to measure user frustration.
So the measured benefits are usually misleading.
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The benefits are immediate, while the drawbacks take time to manifest
The benefits are usually immediate – they exist as soon as the user is done with the interaction in question. The drawbacks, on the other hand, only manifest over time. Degradation of trust and erosion of brand reputation take time to become apparent (although social media may speed up this process).
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The drawbacks accumulate, and are difficult to undo
Although the individual drawback may be small – minor irritation and inconvenience to the user – they tend to accumulate over time. Once a brand acquires a reputation for sneaky tricks, it’s difficult to undo this association.
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The benefits from doing the right thing are real, but not obvious
Doing the right thing by users rarely results in obvious kudos to the site owner. To understand this, usability consultant Steve Krug’s “reservoir of goodwill” metaphor is helpful. The typical user arrives on a site with a certain amount of goodwill towards that site, a level of optimism that the site will meet their goals without undue stress or frustration. Every single obstacle they encounter diminishes that reservoir, sometimes to the point that they abandon the site in frustration. But if they accomplish everything they set out to do in a fluid and comfortable sequence, the reservoir will be mostly intact. Most users perceive this as neutral: they accomplished what they set out to do, no more and no less. Nonetheless, this is a good outcome, when considered alongside the far more common series of failed attempts, backtracks, and blind alleys that most users run into when trying to accomplish common tasks.
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Deceptive patterns harm accessibility, and may be illegal
By definition, deceptive patterns are antithetical to accessibility, and may run foul of the law in some jurisdictions, in much the same way that wheelchair ramps went from bonus feature to legal requirement over 30 years ago.
More information
- Deceptive Patterns
- Advanced Common Sense, the website of Steve Krug
- ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits: How to Protect Your Business (US Chamber of Commerce, March 20, 2025)