Dark patterns

Dark patterns are design choices that trick or pressure people into doing something they didn't intend, such as buying more, sharing more data or staying subscribed. Today they are often called deceptive patterns.

UX designer Harry Brignull introduced the term in 2010 and has collected examples since, on what is now deceptive.design. He describes them as features that "stop you doing what you want, or steer you into harmful decisions you would not have made deliberately."

Common examples

• Fake urgency: countdown timers that reset, or "only 2 left" when that isn't true
• Confirmshaming: a decline button that reads "No thanks, I don't like saving money"
• Hard to cancel: signing up takes one click, cancelling takes a phone call
• Sneaking: extra products or insurance added to the basket by default
• Unequal choices: a big "Accept all" button and a hidden way to refuse, for example in a cookie banner

The rules in the EU

Several laws apply. The Digital Services Act forbids online platforms from designing their interfaces "in a way that deceives or manipulates the recipients of their service" (Article 25 DSA). For other websites, consumer law against unfair commercial practices and privacy law, for example on consent for cookies, cover many of the same tricks.

Why they hurt first impressions

Dark patterns can raise a number in the short term, but visitors who recognise them lose trust, and trust is hard to win back. A pop-up that blocks the screen or a fake timer is often the first thing a new visitor sees. On StayOrBounce, that shows up in the scores for Do I trust it? and Would I stay?.