Dark Patterns
Design Futures/Fiction
Interface tricks that manipulate people into doing things they did not mean to.
In practice
Dark patterns — a term from Harry Brignull — are deliberate design choices that deceive or pressure: the pre-ticked box, the cancel button hidden three menus deep, the fake countdown, the guilt-trip decline copy. They work, which is why they persist, and they are increasingly illegal under consumer protection and privacy law. Knowing the catalogue is how you avoid building one by accident.
Questions
What is Dark Patterns?
Dark patterns are user interface designs crafted to trick or coerce users into actions that benefit the business at the user's expense.
Why do you use Dark Patterns?
They convert in the short term and destroy trust in the long term — and regulators in the EU, UK and US are now fining companies for them.
How do you use/apply Dark Patterns?
Learn the taxonomy — confirmshaming, roach motel, sneak-into-basket, forced continuity — audit your flows for them, and make the honest path as easy as the profitable one.
When do you use Dark Patterns?
In every checkout, subscription, consent and cancellation flow you design or review.
Who uses Dark Patterns?
Every designer shipping a commercial product, and the legal and ethics teams beside them.
