dark pattern

plural dark patterns

1. computingA user interface that is intentionally designed to trick users into doing things that are not in their own best interest, such as giving up more information, or agreeing to unfavourable terms.

   It was really easy to register an account on the app, but the option to delete my account seemed almost impossible, which made me feel like a victim of a dark pattern.

   3 more examples

   The Impersonation dark pattern occurs when these broadcasts communicate actions users never performed, thus misleading others.

   2014, Chris Lewis, Irresistible Apps: Motivational Design Patterns for Apps, Games, and Web-based Communities

   Brignull's specific goal in identifying dark patterns was to recognize and name companies, and describe their dark practices so that people would be aware of dark patterns in an interface, and to shame the companies using them.

   2015, Nicolai Marquardt, Proxemic Interactions: From Theory to Practice, page 140

   Consumers are faced with dark patterns on a daily basis; whether they want to use an online retailer, unsubscribe from a service, protect their privacy, and in many other situations.

   2021 January 14, Norwegian Consumer Council, You can log out, but you can never leave