Dark UX Patterns

Common Ploys and Cheap Tactics Found in Everyday Design

Entering the Dark side

Desperate, deceitful, and unethical. These are all words to describe dark UX, also referred to as needy design patterns. These malicious attempts to move users toward a specific action can come in many forms, but in general, are put in place to coerce everyday people into doing something for the benefit of the company behind them. In the above example, we see a common shame tactic used when giving people a choice to make. Either you select the right option, or something's wrong with you. In this brief article, I want to shed light on these patterns, and offer my thoughts on how and why we ought to stand clear of dark UX, both as end-users and a technology company.

It comes in many forms

Users across the web have reported encountering dark UX in one way or another for quite some time. The one commonality across the board is that it creates a negative experience due to the emotions it causes. Shame, frustration, and confusion just to name a few. Take the example below, where the app icon in the Google Play store appears to have a familiar notification badge, prompting the user to tap it. In reality, the red badge is part of the app icon image, leading the user to the app screen where they didn't intend to go. It makes use of a general convention to trick users into engaging with a tap.

Or how about this ad on Instagram, showing a fake hair on the screen so the user tries to swipe it off, and as a result, ends up on their website.

And then my favorite - a banner ad on a mobile phone made to look like it has a spec of dirt on it. The intent is to have users try to remove the dirt, and "accidentally" open their website. This is one of the dirtier tricks out there.

As designers, it's important for us to consider the emotional journey of the user, and design a conversation that takes into account what the user is trying to accomplish. Just as we wouldn't want to bully someone in person, we don't want to do that in digital form. Designs work best when they're crafted upon a conversation with the end user. A back-and-forth which anticipates people's needs and helps them accomplish their goals. There is no trickery or conniving behavior like you see in these examples.

How many installs does it take to uninstall an installer?

If I continue, I cancel my order, but if I cancel, I continue?

Thanks, Delta, for employing a common design principle to get my subconscious to proceed without realizing the $169 upgrade I'm about to add.

What we can learn

All of the above examples, along with many more out there on the web, are desperate ploys to get users to take an action that is predicated on nothing other than the company's quest for conversion. They are tricks to get people to click through to the next screen, or in some cases, to buy something they didn't intend to buy. They are borderline evil. As a company, we should always be striving for the most ethical and honest conversations with our customers and end users. This can come in the form of thoughtful and empathetic design, where we consider what users are feeling at each and every touchpoint so we can deliver the most value to them at any time. This is how we win business and keep our customers raving about us.

“If we want users to like our software we should design it to behave like a likeable person: respectful, generous and helpful.” ~ Alan Cooper