Companies are tricking you into spending money and here is how.
What Is A Dark Pattern?
Nowadays everything on the internet is fighting for your attention. Companies will do everything in their power to convince you to buy their product, check out their service or even try out their free trials.
As a result, there has been an increased popularity in dark patterns. A dark pattern is a feature of interface design crafted to trick users into doing things they might not want to do, but which benefit the business in question. Essentially, dark patterns are a way in which the digital environment is controlled, using web design to encourage you to purchase a product or sign up for a subscription you didn't intend to. There are so many dark patterns, it is very likely that you have run into one without even noticing.
Where You Will Find Them
A dark pattern you are sure to find is in your email inbox. Have you ever received a promotion or newsletter email and decided that you wanted to unsubscribe, but you found the unsubscribe link to be virtually impossible to find? This is an example of Downplaying and Highlighting. Companies will go to great lengths to keep you subscribed to their newsletter, making the unsubscribe link the same color as the rest of the text and often a much smaller size.
Have you ever signed up for a premium subscription that you gained by the click of only a few buttons? However, when you decide it is time to cancel your subscription or close your account, it is very difficult and almost impossible to close your account without help or having to google how to? This is actually intentional and it is called the Roach Method, a design that makes it easy to get into a situation but hard to get out of. This dark pattern is very commonly practiced in so many markets. With only a few clicks you can sign up for a gym membership online. Yet, if you decide to cancel your membership you might find yourself required to cancel your membership in person or having to mail a letter to the establishment.
Companies also use manipulative language with the intentions of guilting users into selecting their preferred option, this is called Confirm Shaming. This practice can be found on department and clothing store websites. When you first open their website, you might be greeted with a big sign asking you to join their rewards program. As an incentive, they might offer some type of 10%, 15% or even 20% discount. All you have to do is sign up with your email. If you decide not to, you will find the opt out button to be at the very bottom of the sign, in much smaller text and often worded in shameful ways such as “No thanks. I don’t like saving money” or “I prefer to pay full price”. These options are worded this way in order to guilt you into joining their rewards program or subscriptions.
We all love free trials. You get to try out a service for a week or a month, for free! Oftentimes, all you need to do is input your credit card information. However, once your free trial is up, you might find your credit card silently being charged without any warning. This dark pattern is called Forced Continuity, when a free trial ends and you keep paying until you cancel (or notice it on your bank statement).
What You Can Do
Dark patterns can be very deceiving, there are so many and they are everywhere. They may be the reason you might have gone over your budget this month or the reason why your bank account has so many automatic charges. The most effective and best thing you can do when it comes to dark patterns is to pay attention. Take time to research other dark patterns that are practiced in order to make sure that you are knowledgeable and aware of the tricks businesses are hoping you fall for.
Author:
Melissa Rodriguez
Bobcat Financial Coach
Melissa is a Bobcat Financial Coach alumna at the University of California, Merced. Read more about her here!
