The Complete Guide to Black and Gray Patterns Designs

Themselves. Online "tricks" on webpages, in apps, and with popups and forms.

These so-called dark patterns hurt user experience and annoy website visitors. (That "advantage" from someone clicking the wrong thing isn't good either.)

Here are examples of dark patterns so you can avoid them on your websites.

Dark patterns appear in online designs, but they're rarely discussed. darkpatterns.org has great information. This is the website's dark pattern.

"On the web, you skim and make assumptions. A corporation can fool you by having a page look like it says one thing when it says another.

Using a design method that fools users is unethical. This boosts your analytics with clicks or hits users didn't want to generate. (Your reporting skews.)

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Hoa Loranger, vice president of UX consultancy firm Nielsen Norman Group, remarked, "Any short-term gains a corporation gets from a dark pattern is lost in the long term."

Dark Patterns
Five deceptive design strategies make up dark patterns.

The design misdirects consumers' attention as a distraction. This usually involves delivering website undesired information. The most typical form of misdirection is a clever design, where a "no" button switches to confirm or only one "correct" response appears. "Buy more" credits is a huge button in apps and games, but "no thanks" is small and hard to press. (Note that the first choice in the example is a payment button.) After clicking "free download," this pop-up appeared. (It's a con.)
Ads that seem like content or navigation to get people to click.
Synchronization: Many free trials have recurring fees. To avoid this, don't charge for free things.
Spam growth Connecting an email or social media account to a website to find a friend to play a game is a dark pattern. This can create fast development for the site using the dark design if it appears you're sending spam to contacts.
Costs hidden: Extra products in a cart or hidden costs at checkout aren't as common as they used to be, but they still happen. Commonly, websites try to prevent you from redeeming discount or promo codes - they apply but disappear at checkout or if you look at other things. (See GoDaddy's example.) Add a domain to your order, click to checkout, and privacy is automatically added unless you opt out.
Dark web patterns
Darkpatterns.org provides these (and other) dark patterns (with catchier names). They're here.

Ethics
Deploying a design strategy raises ethical considerations. If something seems tough, it probably is.

Do you want it to be your website's reputation? Or would you rather build user loyalty with a trustworthy design?

Many prominent companies have utilized (and use) dark patterns.

Consider frequently visited websites: How often is the button you desire hidden? (See Confirmshaming Tumblr example above.)
Consider newsletters. Did you "be duped" into a different subscription option after hunting for the unsubscribe button?
Consider the "x" to close an ad or pop up: How often are these options small or hard to close? When have you accidentally clicked?
Patterns abound.

Before using a pattern, consider its ethics.

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Is the method required to get users to act? (It's likely dark.)
Are you misleading users? (It's likely dark.)
Will this design annoy or frustrate users? (It's likely dark.)
Would I want others to see my analytics or reports? (Otherwise, it's dark.)
Darkpatterns
Web users notice dark patterns easily. And displaying them. Here are some #darkpatterns Twitter examples.

Darkpatterns
Privacy Media Alternatives
No design needs dark patterns. Always find an ethical, user-friendly solution.

Common usability practices prevent misinformation. Link appearance matters. Buttons are buttons. Don't mix text link and button actions for one element (such as yes and no). Consistent design is more transparent; don't alter designs mid-user experience.

Hide advertisements and links. Each piece should follow user patterns.

Ignore fine print. Disclose fees and terms. When the free period ends, request payment. Tricking users into utilizing a product or service is bad.

Some tools require user interactions to function properly. Okay. Protect and value data. Don't misuse it.