Case Study of
Deceptive Patterns in UX
Research & Concept Designs
Overview
DECEPTIVE PATTERNS
Deceptive patterns (also known as “dark patterns”) are tricks used in digital interfaces that make you do things that you didn't mean to, like buying or signing up for something.
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It is a rapidly growing area of research, particularly in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Law.
DELIVERABLES
The following are a few instances of deceptive patterns I've come across in my life. I have called out the specific instances, and my understanding behind why they were used. Further, I've also redesigned the UX/UI for it to a light pattern.
INSTRUCTOR
COURSE
Persuading Ethical Designs in UX Design
DURATION
Winter quarter 2024
January - March
Cast Study #1
DECEPTIVE PATTERNS IN COURSERA
DECEPTIVE PATTERN #1
Bait & Switch
Bait & Switch is a deceptive marketing practice where a product/ service is initially advertised as free or significantly discounted. However, when consumers attempt to obtain the item, they find it either unavailable or offered in extremely limited quantities. Subsequently, they are presented with the choice of purchasing a more expensive alternative or one of lower quality. This tactic lures customers in with an enticing offer only to redirect them towards less favorable options.
WHY IT WORKS
By making the ‘Enroll for Free’ button extremely evident (color contrast), it baits the user to get the free course – only to realize the trial is valid for only 7 days, which is not enough time to complete the course. Additionally, Coursera asks for credit card information right away, which inadvertently gets the user after 7 days to pay for the course - $66 per month.
DECEPTIVE PATTERN #2
Deliberate Misdirection
A design strategy (deceptive pattern) that draws attention to one particular element, so that the user doesn’t notice another.
WHY IT WORKS
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It is easy to miss out on the fact that you have to pay after the 7 days of the trial –
By listing all the positives (advantages) of the free trial, and sneakily having 'pay CA$66 per month after the trial' as one of the positives.​
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It is difficult to realize that there is a FREE option to Audit the course –
By making the color contrast of the ‘Start Free Trial’ button very high, with respect to the low contrast, smaller font size, and low hierarchical positioning of the ‘Audit the course’ link, it nudges the user to think starting the free trial is the only option. As opposed to, auditing the course, you get ALL data and miss out only on the graded assignments and a final certificate.
WHY IS THIS DONE?
Objectives & Key Results
WHAT OKR WOULD BENEFIT FROM THESE DECEPTION PATTERNS?
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Number of Users Enrolled in the course:
By having more people enrolled in the course, they can use the higher number of statistics to promote the course further – SOCIAL PROOF STRATEGY
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Monetary benefits of more enrolled students:
Each enrollment pays for at least a month (CA$66), vs if the user audits the course, Coursera loses that money.
WHAT OKR WOULD SUFFER?
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User Trust:
Once users realize that the website is using deceptive patterns to trick them into enrolling in different courses, they will lose trust.
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Number of users completing the course:
After the 7-day trial, when users realize they need to pay monthly to complete the course if they were not willing to pay for it initially, they might drop out of the course altogether.
HOW CAN THIS BE MADE ETHICAL?
Redesigned UX and UI
Using the software Figma, the user experience of veiwing the options for enrollment before actually enrolling for a course in coursera is reimagined -
On the first page, having simply ‘Enrollment Options’ with no bait of a free trial will prompt the users to explore their enrolment options – either auditing the course or a free trial that can continue to a paid professional certificate.
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The next pop-up dialogue box then explores their two options very clearly – the less expensive one on the left, complying with existing user mental models. The advantages of the free trial with its payment requirement after a 7-day trial are also clearly marked.
Reimagined and redesigned UX & UI using Figma
HOW WILL THIS HELP IN ACHIEVING THE OKRs ?
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Increase trust: Clear visibility of options boosts user trust in the organization.
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Increase course completion rates: Improved visibility increases the likelihood of users completing the course.
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Increase the number of returning users: Mindful enrollment driven by awareness of advantages leads to higher user retention and repeat engagement.
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Increase course enrollment: Enhanced user engagement contributes to an increase in the number of people enrolling in courses.
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Improve monetization: Improved user satisfaction and trust contribute to the organization's overall monetization efforts.
Cast Study #2
DECEPTIVE PATTERNS IN RIPPLEMATCH
DECEPTIVE PATTERN #1
Deliberate Misdirection
A design strategy (deceptive pattern) that draws attention to one particular element, so that the user doesn’t notice another.
WHY IT WORKS
By making the color contrast of the ‘Preferences’ button very low, it is extremely difficult for the user to realize that there is another option other than the obvious ‘Accept’ button.
This can easily trick the user into blindly clicking on the Accept button - which inadvertently gives consent for ALL cookies to be enabled.
DECEPTIVE PATTERN #2
Intentional Friction
A design strategy (deceptive pattern) which causes extra, unnecessary friction/ cognitive load to do a particular action, usually to the advantage of the organization at the expense of the user.
WHY IT WORKS
Keeping ALL cookies ‘Enabled’ as the default option nudges users to make that decision – enable all cookies. Further, this design of not having a ‘reject all’ button makes it EXTRA HARD to disable each option.
If a user is in a hurry, they might just blindly click on ‘Save & accept’, instead of having to click 7 times to disable them.
By creating this extra intentional friction, the design prompts users gently to ‘give in’ to their demands – enabling all cookies.
WHY IS THIS DONE?
Objectives & Key Results
WHAT OKR WOULD BENEFIT FROM THESE DECEPTION PATTERNS?
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Maximize Non-Essential Cookie Usage: By having more people ‘consent’ to the non-essential cookies, they get more data on the user.
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Improving Data Quality: Enhance the accuracy and reliability of data for analytics purposes.
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Monetization from targeted ads: By having ALL this data, they can further personalize the website experience (for now and future) with targeted ads, etc.
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Sell data to third parties: Unethical monetary benefits of selling user data to third parties
WHAT OKR WOULD SUFFER?
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User Trust: Once users realize that the website is using deceptive patterns to extract information from them, they will lose trust in the company.
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Lifetime value: When users lose trust, the likelihood of them continuing to use the website drastically reduces.
HOW CAN THIS BE MADE ETHICAL?
Redesigned UX and UI
Using the software Figma, the UI of requesting cookies is reimagined & redesigned -
By keeping the ‘View Options’ slightly more highlighted than the Accept All and Reject All buttons, it nudges the user to make an informed decision on what cookies they want to enable, and which ones to disable.
Reimagined and redesigned UX & UI using Figma
HOW WILL THIS HELP IN ACHIEVING THE OKRs ?
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Increase trust: Clear visibility of options boosts user trust in the organization.
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Improve data quality: Facilitates the improvement of data quality as users provide consent for non-essential cookies.
Reflection
This class has been pivotal in shaping my mindset to consistently question the rationale behind our behavior with digital interfaces. Our behaviors are affected and influenced by the designs we interact with. When digital products employ deceptive patterns to coerce us to make a particular decision, the design plays with our psychology and it becomes very hard NOT to fall into the trap.
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After identifying the deceptive pattern we need to understand WHY they used it in the first place. Being empathetic to their cause, it is now easier to redesign the user experience/UI to transform it into a light pattern while gaining the required OKRs.
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I am now, not only able to identify them and make conscious decisions while interacting with them, but also with my UX Design background, I reimagine and redesign them - making the world more ethical with one small design change at a time.