Deceptive Patterns in UX: How to Recognize and Avoid Them

Summary: Deceptive patterns promote business outcomes at the user's expense. Designers should avoid deceptive patterns by carefully assessing their designs.

Deceptive patterns are designs that force the user to take an action that is not in their best interest. They are prolific on the web because they are phenomenally effective at boosting conversions. However, their use is unethical and legally problematic.

This article provides an overview of how deceptive patterns can manifest and discusses how to identify them in your designs.

What Are Deceptive Patterns?

Definition: A deceptive pattern is a design pattern that prompts users to take an action that benefits the company employing the pattern by deceiving, misdirecting, shaming, or obstructing the user’s ability to make another (less profitable) choice.