Deceptive Patterns in UX Design

Let’s talk a bit about deceptive patterns in UX Design! This is a particular UX topic that I really like talking about, especially around this time of year (The holiday season). Personally I’ve run into these patterns a lot this month because I’ve spent much more time than I usually do browsing the Web in search of the perfect gift for more than a few people.

I don’t do all of my shopping on Amazon, I really go down some rabbit holes and end up on some pretty random websites. It’s because of this that I end up running into these deceptive patterns. No, I’m not saying that smaller websites aren’t any good – I’m saying that because I see so many more websites than usual, the chances of me being slapped with bad UX design is greater.

All of that being said, I’m going to go over a few (of my favorite…?) Deceptive Patterns below. That way, you know what to avoid if you’re shopping – and you know what to avoid doing if you’re a UX Designer.

Sneak Into Basket

This is when a website slides something into your shopping cart without you realizing it until it’s almost too late – or it is too late, and you’ve already purchased it.

This deceptive pattern really grinds my gears, and I’ve seen this one happen a LOT. To use the late, great John Pinette as a reference – if you’re looking at TVs on a website, and you add one to your cart – and an extended warranty is added without your knowledge. Sure, it shows it on the checkout page – but if you didn’t add it, why would you even be looking out for it?

Confirmshaming

This pattern is pretty lowbrow and really irritates me. This is when a website attempts to make you feel bad about not purchasing something.

Adding to the previous example, let’s say you’re buying a TV and you see the extended warranty in your cart (whether you added it or it was added automatically) and decide to remove that from your cart. The message that pops up on the website tries to shame or guilt you into adding it back with something like “Sorry you don’t want that! We thought you were cooler than that, but we were wrong”.

That guilt trip doesn’t work on many customers, I don’t think – but it does add stress and that’s not cool.

Thankfully, I don’t see this one TOO much, but seeing it once is one time too many. Don’t do this to your customers.

Forced Continuity

Gyms do this one a lot, and it’s never been cool. This, in a nutshell, is when you get charged for a membership without any reminder.

I see this happen a lot on many free trials too. “Sign up for a free trial!” it says, and then once the free trial is up your credit card gets hit with no warning. Some of you will argue that it’s your job to keep up with these and pay attention to the fine print, and that’s well and fine.

Even if the fine print explains what will happen after the trial, all it takes is a pop-up in the app or an email to remind you – and then it’s no longer a sneaky, deceptive pattern. Refusing to do this, is a sure-fire way to cause a mess. The customer will be mad, they will more than likely cancel and/or request a refund on the purchase. Keep in mind many of these customers probably would have happily paid for the purchase if they had been warned first.

Urgency

This ugly practice is pretty self explanatory I think. This is when a website tells you that the sale price is SUPER limited. Don’t get it twisted – By limited, I don’t mean something like a weekend sale or holiday sale. I mean when the timer on the item is ridiculously short with a timeframe like “49 minutes left” and it continues to count down. I’ve seen this a lot, and I can tell you now that the price stays the same after the timer is up.

This increases the pressure on the buyer and tries to get them to purchase the item, even if they’re on the fence about it. It might also cause too much pressure and the buyer abandons the cart. So you don’t want that if this is your product you’re selling.

Scarcity

This deceptive pattern goes hand in hand with the above example, I think. This is when a website informs you that there’s only a few items left. It’s not showing you a countdown timer that’s pressuring you about a stupidly short window to purchase, it’s instead giving you a message stating that there are a super limited number of the item in question in stock. Let’s say you’re and your buddy John are both looking at that TV still and you get a message that says “There’s only 4 of these left in stock! Hurry before it’s too late!”

I don’t see this one websites such as Amazon or Walmart. It’s either in stock or it isn’t.

As a shopper, beware of these deceptive patterns and don’t let them trick you into buying something that you’re on the fence about. I’m in no way saying that websites that do this are bad websites – I’m sure most of them are going to send you the product that you order, but practices like this do make me wonder about the reputability sometimes.

If you are a UX Designer and you’re designing a shopping experience, do your best to stay away from practices like the ones I mentioned above. No shopper will appreciate you for this.

If you liked this post, please share it with your friends and comment any thoughts you have so I know what to keep writing about!