Dark patterns Flashcards
Bait and switch
Sneaking - Meso level
Sneaking - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that their choice will result in a desired action, instead leading to an unexpected, undesirable outcome.
Hiding information
Sneaking - Meso level
Sneaking - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that all relevant information to make an informed choice will be available to them, instead hiding information or delaying the disclosure of information until later in the user journey that may have led to them making another choice.
(De)contextualizing
Sneaking - Meso level
Sneaking - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that provided information will guide the user to making an informed choice, instead confusing the user and/or preventing them from locating relevant information due to the context where information is presented.
Disguised Ads
Sneaking - Bait and switch - Low level
Sneaking - Bait and switch - Low level
Bait and Switch and use Sneaking to style interface elements so they are not clearly marked as an advertisement or other biased source. As a result, users are induced into clicking on the interface element because they assume that it is a relevant and salient interaction, leading to unwitting interaction with advertising content.
Sneak into Basket
Sneaking - Hiding information - Low level
Sneaking - Hiding information - Low level
Hides Information and uses Sneaking to add unwanted items to a user’s shopping cart without their consent. As a result, a user assumes that only the items they explicitly added to their cart will be purchased, leading to unintentional purchase of additional items.
Drip Pricing, Hidden Costs, or Partitioned Pricing
Sneaking - Hiding information - Low level
Sneaking - Hiding information - Low level
Hides Information and uses Sneaking to reveal new charges or costs, present only partial price components, or otherwise delay revealing the full price of a product or service through late or incomplete disclosure. As a result, the user is misled about the total or complete price of the product or service, leading to them to make a purchase decision after they have expended effort on false pretenses.
Reference Pricing
Sneaking - Hiding information - Low level
Sneaking - Hiding information - Low level
Hides Information and uses Sneaking to include a misleading or inaccurate price for a product or service that makes a discounted price appear more attractive. As a result, the user is misled into believing that the price they pay is discounted, leading them to make a decision to purchase a product or service on false pretenses.
Conflicting Information
Sneaking - (De)contextualizing - Low level
Sneaking - (De)contextualizing - Low level
Uses (De)contextualizing Cues and Sneaking to include two or more sources of information that conflict with each other. As a result, the user is unsure what the consequences of their actions will be and will be more likely to accept default settings that may not be in their best interest.
Information without context
Sneaking - (De)contextualizing - Low level
Sneaking - (De)contextualizing - Low level
Uses (De)contextualizing Cues and Sneaking to alter the relevant information or user controls to limit discoverability. As a result, the user is unlikely to find the information or action possibility they are interested in.
Roach Motel
Obstruction - Meso level
Obstruction - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that an action will be as easy to reverse as it is to make, instead creating a situation that is easy to get into, but difficult to get out of.
Creating Barriers
Obstruction - Meso level
Obstruction - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that relevant user tasks will be supported by the interface, instead preventing, abstracting, or otherwise complicating a user task to disincentive user action.
Adding Steps
Obstruction - Meso level
Obstruction - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that a task will take as few steps as technologically needed, instead creating additional points of unnecessary but required user interaction to perform a task.
Immortal Accounts
Obstruction - Roach Motel - Low level
Create a Roach Motel and use Obstruction to make it difficult or impossible to delete a user account once it has been created. As a result, the user may create an account or share data with the false assumption that they can later delete this information, even though that account and/or data are then unable to be removed by the user.
Dead Ends
Obstruction - Roach Motel - Low level
Create a Roach Motel and use Obstruction to prevent users from finding information through inactive links or redirections that limit or completely prevent the display of relevant information. As a result, the user may seek to find relevant information or action possibilities but instead be left unable to achieve their goal.
Price Comparison Prevention
Obstruction - Creating Barriers - Low level
Creates Barriers and uses Obstruction by excluding relevant information, limiting the ability of a user to copy/paste, or otherwise inhibiting a user from comparing prices across two or more vendors. As a result, the user cannot make an informed decision about where to buy a product or service.
Intermediate Currencies
Obstruction - Creating Barriers - Low level
Create Barriers and use Obstruction to hide the true cost of a product or service by requiring the user to spend real money to purchase a virtual currency that is then used to purchase a product or service. As a result, the user is unable to easily ascertain the true monetary cost of a product or service, leading them to make an uninformed purchase decision based on an obscured cost.
Privacy Mazes
Obstruction - Adding Steps - Low level
Add Steps and use Obstruction to require a user to navigate through many pages to obtain relevant information or control without a comprehensive and exhaustive overview. As a result, the user is prevented from easily discovering relevant information or action possibilities, leaving them unable to make informed decisions regarding their privacy.
Manipulating Visual Choice Architecture
Interface interference - Meso level
Interface interference - Meso level
Subverts the user’s expectation that the options presented will support their desired goal, instead including an order or structure of options that makes another outcome more likely.
