Feeling lost or tricked by a favourite website or apps?

The Indian Government has issued a notification notifying dark patterns to protect consumers.

But what are Dark Patterns?

It is a tricky patterns designed by apps or websites to manipulate its consumer !

Let's learn a few different type of Dark Patterns:

1. Felt a fear of losing your purchase due to time or limited availability ? A false pressure created on the consumer is called “False Urgency” and is a form of dark pattern notified by department of consumer affairs.

2. Total purchase value going higher, unidentified, at checkout ? That's Basket Sneaking form of dark pattern. Without selection a service is tagged to cart at last second.

3. A phrase to embarrasse or feel ashamed while transacting that resulting in buying? That's Confirm Shaming form of dark pattern. Using a adverse negative phrases to force a purchase on buyer.

4. Observing restriction to complete a purchase, unless opt for other item or buy unrelated things or seeking unnecessary details?That's Forced action form of dark pattern. User is compel to buy other item while purchasing an item to complete a purchase.

5. Felt trapped in a chakravyuha because you weren’t able to locate unsubscribe option? or found yourself automatically debited even during a free trial? That's falling into the Subscription Trap, a form of dark pattern frustrating users upon exit or trapping them into paid subscriptions.

6. Ever struggled to find a relevant button to decline an order as button is hidden in light colors or tiny fonts? That's Interface Interference, manipulating the user interface and leading users away from their intended actions.

7. Ever felt attracted by a deal which ends before purchase and an alternative expensive offer is received ? That's Bait & Switch form of dark pattern. Its to attract with a deal but with an intent to sell alternative product/services.

8. Unrevealed costs or hidden charges popping up post-purchase, forcing additional payments? That's Drip Pricing, a dark pattern hiding extra fees or undisclosed costs after checkout.

9. Clicked a regular content, but resulting in viewing a forced advertisement ? That's Disguised Advertisement, a deceptive practice where ads masquerade as regular content to trick users into clicking.

10. Constantly asked to download or provide personal details for various reasons? That's Nagging, a dark pattern that persistently disrupts and annoys users with repeated requests, aiming for commercial gains.

11. Faced with dual meaning choices like "Not Now" instead of a clear "Yes" or "No". That's a Trick question, having unclear language to steer users towards a specific response or action.

12. Are you charged, without notification or auto continuing after trial period? That's Saas Billing, exploiting recurring subscriptions without proper user notifications.

13. Ever encountered an alert offering support for an impacted malware ? That's Rogue Malwares, pretending to be protective tool but embedded with malware to trick users into paying or accessing harmful links.

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Hope you have understood Dark Patterns & its 13 types!