Impact of Deceptive Design in Digital Marketplace

Introduction

Deceptive design widely known by the term ‘dark pattern’ was coined by Dr. Harry Brignull in 2010. This term refers to a manipulative trick used in websites, games and applications to influence the user to complete an action that they did not intend to do. This trick can be prominently seen while using shopping apps and websites where the user is persuaded into making additional or unnecessary purchases.

For example, while shopping for something on an platform user adds whatever they need into the cart, by then the total price of the products is as shown on the product detail. Once the user moves it to buy now, additional hidden charges are added discreetly.

Other types of deceptive patterns in e-commerce websites are Fake scarcity, Fake urgency, Hidden costs, Nagging, and Preselection.

It is crucial to understand dark design patterns as there are major downsides to dark pattern in UX Design as it can ruin customers experience, the brand image ultimately creating distrust and rise in abandonment.

Source- https://infinum.com/blog/dark-patterns-designs-that-pull-evil-tricks-on-our-brains/

Dark pattern flow chart.

Source- https://infinum.com/blog/dark-patterns-designs-that-pull-evil-tricks-on-our-brains/

Real-world examples

Example 01-

False urgency on shopping websites like Cider. A countdown timer is shown to influence the user to take action quickly, if they wan to get a discount. User is manipulated into thinking that a simple registration will get them a discount but the terms and conditions agreement complicates the expectation. On the other hand the website is able to register a new user.

Source- https://www.shopcider.com

Example 02-

Fake scarcity is another common dark design pattern on shopping platforms. Products are marked with labels such as ‘only 1 left’ even though it is completely false. This is to influence the user into thinking the popularity of the product as well as manipulating them into thinking they need to act quickly before the product is sold out.

Discussion

Mathur et al (2019) discuss about dark patterns that are shown on shopping websites, they used a web crawler to visit the 11K most popular shopping websites worldwide. Their findings included 1818 instances of dark design that could be categorized into 15 types of dark patterns. They narrowed down the types into 5 groups, Asymmentric, Covert, Deceptive, Hides Information and Restrictive.

Another study by Bongard-Blanchy et al (2021) observed users awareness and ability to recognize dark patterns on shopping platforms. HCI researchers and practitioners seek to expose and counteract the influence of dark design on the users, the study concludes that users are aware of dark design’s influence and can recognize it. They believe taking the right design measures and technical solutions can help strengthen users resistance to them.

During Covid, user traffic immensely moved towards online shopping, concept of livestream shopping was established. A study by Wu et al (2023) explores live streamers’ deceptive selling strategies on Taobao and TikTok. On live video streams the influencer talks about a product with an active purchase link on screen, the selling strategies were divided into same categories as Mathur et al, discussed in their paper. The streamers used dark design such as fake scarcity, forced endorsement, fake social proof, fake urgency and more. These were further highlighted with push notifications and fake comments that create a feeling of FOMO and urgency for the viewer.

Future trends

1. Evolving Dark Patterns: With the progression of technology, it is anticipated that there will be an ongoing development of dark patterns in shopping apps. Designers may resort to more intricate and discreet tactics, making it challenging for users to detect deceitful elements. This development may encompass the utilization of AI-driven personalization, customizing dark patterns to suit individual user habits and preferences.

2. Augmented Reality (AR) Deception: The incorporation of AR technology in shopping applications may result in the development of new opportunities for deceptive practices. Brands could potentially exploit AR experiences to amplify product presentations or generate misleading impressions regarding dimensions, quality, or capabilities. Users might encounter difficulties in differentiating between virtual and actual depictions, which could result in instances of deception.

3. Psychologically Focused Deception: Prospective advancements may concentrate on employing psychological concepts to deceive users in a more proficient manner. By exploring behavioral psychology and cognitive biases, shopping applications could utilize personalized messaging, emotional cues, and persuasive tactics that are designed to exploit individual susceptibilities, thereby swaying user choices and purchases.

4. Ethical Prevention in Design: Growing concerns about deceptive design are likely to lead to a greater emphasis on ethical design principles. Designers and stakeholders may join forces to incorporate transparency features, clear disclosures, and user-friendly interfaces that intentionally counter deceptive elements. Future shopping app interfaces may be more heavily influenced by ethical design guidelines and concepts.

5. User Empowerment Initiatives: An emerging trend could focus on empowering users through education and tools. Awareness campaigns, browser extensions, or apps helping in detecting and avoiding deceptive design elements may gain importance, supporting users to make informed choices.

Conclusion

Investigating deceptive design in shopping apps exposes its widespread existence and significant influence on user experience, trust, and moral issues. The sophisticated use of dark patterns and deceptive strategies in these systems destroys confidence, compromises ethical design standards, and undermines user freedom.

The need of taking ethics into account when designing user interfaces is growing as technology develops. This calls for a change in shopping app design to become more socially conscious, transparent, and user-centric. In order to reduce the negative consequences of deceptive design, designers and stakeholders need to support for openness, integrity, and user empowerment.