Deceptive Patterns
Deceptive patterns manipulate you online. Even big tech uses them.
More and more people have noticed more and more deceptive patterns on the internet. Those of you that aren’t familiar with web design may be wondering what a deceptive pattern is. The term was first coined by UX Specialist Harry Brignull in 2010 as dark patterns and was recently updated to the term, deceptive patterns, to alleviate linguistic/cultural bias. Deceptive patterns are web design tactics whose goal is to trick you, the user, into performing an action that you did not intend to – such as signing up for a newsletter to access content or a discount, or adding an item you did not want to your shopping cart at checkout. Almost everyone who has access to the internet has encountered one at one point or another during their internet usage. Deceptive patterns are everywhere and they aren’t just limited to the nefarious parts of the web. Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook are among the many big tech companies that employ them and millions of people access services provided by those companies every day. With that introduction out of the way, let’s look at a few examples of deceptive patterns you might have encountered.
Roach Motels
As deceiving as it sounds, this is not about anything commonly found in the pest control aisle of your local hardware or grocery store, but an insidious practice that permeates the internet as we know it. In short, a “Roach Motel” is a website or web form that makes it very easy for you to sign up or opt-in, but extremely difficult to close your account or unsubscribe. In fact, you’ve most likely already been trapped inside one or several and didn’t even realize it. Take for example Amazon or Facebook. In order to close your Amazon account, they force you to navigate down through several menus that show no context for closing your Amazon account, only to then force you to open a chat with a member of their support team who will try to talk you out of leaving.
ConfirmShaming
Facebook makes closing your account difficult in a similar way, combining it with another manipulative deceptive pattern called “ConfirmShaming”. When trying to close a Facebook account, you might get a message saying if you leave Facebook your Facebook friends will miss you. This can include images of you and friends, the people you talk to the most, even family – all displayed in a last-ditch effort to get you to change your mind. This is “ConfirmShaming” and occurs when a webpage, advertisement, or e-mail attempts to guilt you into doing something – such as Facebook suggesting keeping your account open for the sake of your friends, a newsletter making you opt out with text designed to make you feel bad, or in some cases even outright insulting you. This can be encountered with a “free giveaway” that signs a person up for a newsletter without disclosing that it will subscribe them to one. After submitting an entry, the person receives a message stating that they “went ahead and signed the person up for their newsletter” to “save them trouble” and that they can always unsubscribe – “If you aren’t cool”.
Bait and Switch
Another deceptive pattern is the “Bait and Switch.” A “Bait and Switch” occurs when a user completes one action online but is unexpectedly subjected to a different, often undesirable, action instead. A notorious example of “Bait and Switch” involved Microsoft’s encouragement of users to update their PCs to Windows 10. Initially, the update prompts were merely friendly reminders; however, over time, the notifications became more insistent. At one point, Microsoft even modified the close window button to initiate the installation process directly, resulting in disastrous consequences for many users who were unprepared or had insufficient backups. This led to data loss or bricked devices for numerous users,causing significant time, financial, and emotional burdens.
Trick Questions
“Trick Questions” occur when a user is manipulated into providing an unintended answer while completing a webpage,allowing the website to achieve its desired outcome while potentially causing inconvenience or worse for the user. For example, imagine a scenario where a person discovers a hot new product advertised on Instagram and decides to purchase it from a young company’s website. After adding the item to their cart and proceeding to checkout, they enter their personal information for shipping and payment and encounter a series of checkboxes. Despite attempting to bypass these checkboxes, the website requires the user to review them. The first checkbox offers the option to opt out of product recommendations based on online shopping trends, while the second suggests receiving product recommendations the user might enjoy. Eager to complete the purchase, the individual might inadvertently select both options, unknowingly reversing their initial opt-out decision. This is a prime example of “Trick Questions,” another form of deceptive online practice.
Further Reading
These four examples are just a few of the many deceptive patterns out on the internet. To learn more, check out Harry Brignull website to learn more about other tyes of deceptive patterns and to check out other real world examples.
Up Next
Podcasts
Episode 8: A 360 Approach to Accessibility
