Have you ever noticed that, at the end of your checkout process, the checkbox for a ₹1 donation is already ticked?
“Dark patterns in UX design define instances where designers use their knowledge of human behavior and the desires of end users to implement deceptive functionality that is not in the user’s best interest and comes without their explicit consent.”
The concept of dark patterns has gained significant traction over the past several years, prompting the Department of Consumer Affairs in India to release draft guidelines on the issue, finalized in November 2023. These manipulative practices have also led to real financial and legal consequences for major companies—including a $245 million judgment against Fortnite maker Epic Games for manipulative purchase-encouraging practices and multiple US state settlements against Google over its use of dark patterns to obtain location data. The D.C. lawsuit highlighted how Google had a strong financial incentive to prevent consumers from opting out of location tracking, since that data fuels better ad targeting.
Quick answer: Dark patterns are UI/UX design choices that intentionally manipulate users into actions they wouldn’t otherwise take — like hidden costs, pre-checked add-ons, or deliberately confusing cancellation flows. They differ from persuasive design in that they prioritize business outcomes over user consent and understanding. Regulators in India, the EU, and the US have all moved to restrict them, making ethical UX design a genuine legal and reputational consideration, not just an ethics debate.
When does a pattern become dark, and how intentional is it? Designers hold a distinctive role in the professional world — they often approach ethical considerations more organically, raising ethical consciousness from within and resisting stakeholder pressure. Design is inherently a persuasive act, where the designer creates intentional change in the world through behavioral and social shifts.
When we start talking about ethical design, several pertinent questions arise about current market practices. For example, what if Netflix said, “Go to bed now—you can always binge-watch tomorrow” instead of encouraging users to binge-watch all night, which clearly has a negative effect on their well-being?
UX design isn’t just about persuasion — a big part of it is also about being transparent with users about intent. Dark patterns are strategies that have been twisted away from their original, ethical purpose.
Understanding the specific taxonomy makes it far easier to spot dark patterns in the wild—and to audit your own product for them:
| Dark Pattern | What It Does | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bait and Switch | Advertises one action but delivers a different, unwanted outcome | Clicking “close” on a popup that instead opens an ad or triggers a subscription |
| Confirmshaming | Uses guilt-based language to discourage users from opting out | “No thanks, I don’t want to save money” as the decline option on a discount popup |
| Roach Motel | Makes it easy to get into a situation but deliberately hard to get out | Simple one-click sign-up, but cancellation requires calling support or navigating hidden menus |
| Forced Continuity | Silently converts a free trial into a paid subscription without clear warning | Trial auto-renews into a paid plan with no reminder email beforehand |
| Sneaking | Adds items or costs to a purchase without the user’s clear consent | A pre-checked travel insurance add-on at checkout |
| Nagging | Repeatedly interrupts the user with the same request until they comply | Recurring “enable notifications” prompts that reappear every session |
| Trick Questions | Uses confusing language or double negatives to reverse the user’s intended choice | “Uncheck this box if you don’t want to not receive emails” |
| Hidden Costs | Reveals additional fees only at the final step of checkout | Shipping, taxes, or service fees appearing only after card details are entered |
| Visual Interference | Uses color, contrast, or placement to steer attention away from the honest option | A bright “Accept All” cookie button next to a barely visible gray “Reject” link |
| Disguised Ads | Makes advertisements look like organic content or navigation elements | A “Download” button styled to look identical to search results, leading to an ad instead |
If you recognize any of these in your own product, that’s the exact starting point for an audit — not a reason for alarm, but a reason to prioritize a fix before a regulator or a viral social post does it for you.
The term “dark patterns” first emerged in 2010, initially described as “ethically dubious designs.” These patterns naturally raised key questions: What drives designers? Whose interests should designers prioritize? What are users being “tricked” into doing, and why? Are there times when users want to be persuaded? Can interactions unintentionally become a dark pattern as technology and user behaviors change?
Let’s approach this from a business standpoint. The problem businesses face lies in the difference between their goals and their users’ goals. A business typically wants users to spend more, while users usually want to optimize and minimize their expenses. How do designers find a middle ground that satisfies both stakeholders?
Consider gift cards or store credits in retail environments. Instead of spending real money directly, users purchase gift cards, which they then use for shopping. This disconnect between actual monetary value and the purchasing process can lead to impulse purchases or spending more than intended, benefiting the business while still satisfying users in the short term.
Dark patterns undermine both these aspects by misleading users about what actions they can take and what to expect from the system. Dark patterns are complicit in undermining both action possibilities and communicative expectations based on salient interactions.
When interface interference occurs, users may be unable to fully understand or explore other available actions—essentially navigating blindly in the interest of the business. This effect includes nagging and forced actions, emphasizing options preferred by the system’s owner and leading to involuntary interactions that restrict user autonomy. Paradoxically, some dark patterns perform well in usability tests, yet they still achieve this by sacrificing user choice.
For example, when a user wants to purchase a product through EMI, the interest percentage is never displayed. Instead, only the monthly payable amount and the longest tenure periods are shown. Most users remain unaware even when the interest rate is in double digits. The business aims to retain the user for longer — and users don’t mind as much when a huge impact is projected as “small effort.”
For every design action, there is an intent, execution, and impact. Intent is always meant to fulfill business objectives, not to manipulate anyone. Through execution, designers have to draw users’ attention — and in the process of trying to make an evident impact, this can appear manipulative.
A design decision made with good intentions for a specific audience might eventually result in manipulative outcomes when exposed to a broader audience. Navigating the ethics of persuasive and value-sensitive design is challenging — it involves balancing designer responsibility, organizational goals, and the push for profit, which often prioritizes business over societal values.
This is the part of the conversation that’s changed the most since this article was first written—dark patterns have moved from an ethics debate into active legal territory:
For businesses, this means dark patterns are no longer just a reputational risk — they’re a compliance risk with real financial consequences.
If you suspect your product might have unintentionally drifted into dark-pattern territory, here’s a starting framework:
Not sure where your product stands, or need an outside, objective audit? Talk to Lollypop’s UX team—we help brands identify and fix exactly this kind of risk as part of our broader UX research and design services.
How do we assess the “dark” characteristics of a pattern or the designer employing it? What dimensions of design responsibility should designers consider? Which user groups are susceptible to dark patterns? Is the designer to blame if a pattern is misunderstood and harms users, especially after being made aware of the harm? There are 65 patterns across three hierarchical levels — 5 high-level, 25 meso-level, and 35 low-level patterns.
As designers, we aim to blend and unify these patterns while providing a clear, consistent structure—enabling stakeholders to build upon a shared understanding of dark patterns. Future research should aim to find the source of dark patterns and create a guide for designers to identify them in their own work. These patterns can cumulatively create a benchmark for how far designers can ethically push boundaries for user experience without putting the business at risk.
Beginning with the local kirana shop, where instead of providing change, they offer a ₹1 chocolate. Similarly, delivery drivers often omit returning ₹1 when orders total “₹99.” Such pricing strategies are not unintentional — they’re a psychological tactic to lure a buyer while still maximizing profit, because for a business, even that one extra rupee from every buyer can result in a huge profit at scale.
At the end of the day, designers are magical gardeners crafting an experienced garden. They must create delightful hybrid experiences to build a vibrant landscape, all while ensuring the healthy growth of every plant. Our goal? To celebrate design by fostering inclusivity and creating a positive impact on all involved stakeholders.
Want to make sure your product’s UX is both effective and ethically sound? Get in touch with Lollypop →
1. What are dark patterns in UX design?
Dark patterns are manipulative design practices used in user interfaces to trick users into making choices they might not otherwise make. These patterns often prioritize business goals over user experience, such as misleading users into subscribing to services or making it difficult to cancel subscriptions.
2. Why are dark patterns considered unethical?
Dark patterns are deemed unethical because they exploit user behavior and deceive individuals into making decisions that are not in their best interest. This undermines trust between users and companies, compromising the integrity of the user experience and potentially causing financial or emotional harm to users.
3. How can users recognize dark patterns in UX design?
Users can recognize dark patterns by being vigilant for signs such as confusing opt-out options, hidden costs, or misleading language. Look out for design elements that pressure you into making quick decisions or make it difficult to understand your choices, such as pre-checked boxes for additional purchases or subscriptions.
4. What are some common examples of dark patterns in UX design?
Common examples include “bait and switch” (advertising a product at a low price but charging more), “forced continuity” (making it hard to cancel subscriptions), “sneaking” (adding items to a cart without user consent), and “confirmshaming” (guilt-tripping users into staying subscribed).
5. How can designers avoid using dark patterns in their work?
Designers can avoid dark patterns by prioritizing transparency and user empowerment. This involves designing interfaces that present all options clearly, avoiding manipulative language, and ensuring that users can easily make and reverse decisions. Ethical design practices should focus on enhancing user experience and building trust rather than exploiting vulnerabilities.
6. Are dark patterns illegal?
It depends on the jurisdiction and the specific practice. India, the EU, and the US have all introduced regulations or enforcement actions targeting specific dark patterns—particularly around subscription cancellation, hidden fees, and deceptive consent flows. Not every manipulative design choice is currently illegal everywhere, but the regulatory trend is clearly moving toward restricting more of them. Consult legal counsel for guidance specific to your product and market.
