Comments on: Dark Patterns: dirty tricks designers use to make people do stuff https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/ User Experience Design, Research & Good Old Fashioned Usability Wed, 01 May 2019 06:09:44 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dark Patterns: dirty tricks designers use to make people do stuff | SEO BlackHat: Black Hat SEO Blog https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-596649 Sun, 17 Apr 2016 19:17:13 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-596649 […] An article on dirty tricks in design. One interesting tidbit plucked from the comments: […]

]]> By: Kyle Gawley - Digital Product Designer. Belfast, Northern Ireland https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-421179 Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:44:23 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-421179 […] Harry Brignull - Dark Patterns: Dirty Tricks Designers Use to Make People do Stuff […]

]]> By: kenneth keen https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-179855 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:51:41 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-179855 If you think that the above have “one or two nasty tricks” then try using “arcor” internet access in Germany. It is so full of nasty tricks it is hard to believe. Just some very brief examples such as limiting the number of mails you can view on one page, so that you are confronted with the adverts (when they can find advertisers – for many months no one has ads so the page is always half blank), several times just to view your mail. When you want to click on something – the area clickable is so small that you have to fiddle around with the mouse and it is sometimes not even beside the area, but to one side. If you set more than 10 mails (default) it can display up to 100 mails but regularly (every ten minutes?) it goes back to 10. You have to log in several times in one session, and they call it “log in” and then “central log in” and so you have to type your details twice and many Germans are wary of this and so don’t use it because someone may be “spying on them” so when not using the email system, that leaves more bandwidth for the others who suffer the system. To put a name in the address book is only possible if that person writes you a mail and you hit that “save address button” before replying. This is however a weary myriad of forms to fill in with questions as to “which group does this person belong to?” and then you have to create groups to advance. To remove a name……is impossible – you cannot remove names and thus end up with maybe 5 entries for the same name. They only display just a few names at a time so you have to wade through the “a” entries, then the “b” entries and slowly through to where the “k” for example is, to find that nothing has been stored. They provide a “webspace” but this is also so convoluted to access that no one I know has been able to put anything there. They often “close the service” for repairs at weekends and do anything to make it so useless that I only use it when forced to. When they send you a bill then they quote prices in tiny “6” size fonts for the Euros not with just cents but also hundreths of cents (which do not exist) but they insist that this is more accurate. It also makes the whole page complicated and difficult to decipher. If you make any changes to your account then the period that you are fixed with them is extended by a further two years! To finally cancel the whole thing you have to write to them before the end of the contract just 3 months in advance. Anyone will ask why on earth should one stay with them and the answer is that ALL German internet services are the same. They have a cartel because they all pay huge liscense fees to the German government, thus stick together and no one undercuts the other either in price nor service offered. Portugal is the same and in France too. People there accept that with prepaid cards the additional amount remains on the account for just ONE MONTH and is then “lost”!
But the masses continue to just shake their heads and accept all this nasty annoying ripp-off trickery.

I suggest someone makes a site where these companies are named, their offence listed and then a table of “nasty companies who we don’t want to deal with” is compiled. I WANT to read about which company is the biggest ripp-off above all others and then know not to even think about using their “service”.

Go ahead, be a step ahead for once in your tiny life and do something exceptionally GOOD.

]]> By: Dark Patterns: dirty tricks designers use to make people do stuff | Globle-Blog https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-150924 Sun, 27 Feb 2011 15:44:35 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-150924 […] An article on dirty tricks in design. One interesting tidbit plucked from the comments: You could pick pretty much any element of the Ryanair website, but a particular favourite of mine, if you could call it that, is the way they subtly force you to buy travel insurance. The question is labelled as “Buy Axa travel insurance”, but the select field has a default value of “select country of residence”. […]

]]> By: inABITyo https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-150784 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:46:19 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-150784 People who design roll on to expand ad formats that purposely cover a website mast head that as a user clicks the mast head to go home they inadvertadly click the ad. Sneaking and quite smart!

]]> By: apricotmuffins https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-147158 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:38:28 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-147158 Next.co.uk makes it almost impossible to not sign up to a credit account with them. They offer their catalogues at a price cheaper than the delivery cost to lure you in, the ‘pay now instead of signing up’ button isnt even a button its a link, hidden in a wall of text.

I got caught when I considered briefly signing up for the ‘free delivery/returns’ and moved on to the next page, only to discover i had now bought my item (without putting any card details in) and there was no way to cancel it on the webpage.

]]> By: H. Marahrens https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-146337 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:35:41 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-146337 “Alternate radio buttons, one YES not to go on the mailing list, the other NO I do want to be contacted by third parties, etc.”

Great – never seen this and I hope I´ll never visit sites using this trick.

Happy New Year!

]]> By: Подборка лучших постов за 2010 год от 90percentofeverything | Raketa – блог о реактивном IT https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-145972 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:30:48 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-145972 […] 1. Темные паттерны: проектируем пользовательские интер… […]

]]> By: Charlie F https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-145905 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:28:13 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-145905 smartcredit.com starts with a 5-day free trial
Decentish service, though after you submit your corrections to the credit report, the creditors will ask you to submit paper proof of the error, so it’s kind of useless. It’s good if you have a hard time understanding
Trying to cancel is SO HARD. You go to the membership page, two options, regular and premium. Then you go to the cancel page, and go through 6 or so different pages trying to trick you into staying with the service, only to come to a dead end! It says “call here during 9-5 (when I’m working) to cancel your subscription.”

The lady I talked to on the phone BOTH TIMES I tried to cancel went on about trying to keep me on. They “forgot” to cancel me the first time, and switched my membership instead. Then the second time I got a little terse and received an email confirming that I’m cancelled. We’ll see on the next billing period.

]]> By: Top posts of 2010 on 90percentofeverything.com https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-145642 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:29:08 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-145642 […] Dark patterns: user interfaces designed to trick people […]

]]> By: Anand https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-144905 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:17:01 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-144905 Another one on facebook – “‘Like’ me to learn more (about me)”

]]> By: Anand https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-144900 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:44:39 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-144900 1. “Upto 50% off”
2. “Limited time offer”
3. All ads are dark patterns, unless provided behind an opt in link (titled something like “View related products”). Online ads are clicked on by a small fraction of users, and do not justify using the majority of users’ attention.

]]> By: Dark Patterns: dirty tricks designers use to make people do stuff « Web Roundup https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-143954 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:40:37 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-143954 […] An article on dirty tricks in design. One interesting tidbit plucked from the comments: You could pick pretty much any element of the Ryanair website, but a particular favourite of mine, if you could call it that, is the way they subtly force you to buy travel insurance. The question is labelled as “Buy Axa travel insurance”, but the select field has a default value of “select country of residence”. […]

]]> By: How Many “Dark Patters” Can You Name? | JumpStart eMarketing https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-142587 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:56:39 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-142587 […] Other examples mentioned in the discussion announcing the wiki: […]

]]> By: Jack https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-142551 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:36:02 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-142551 theres a android app thats suckering people, out of £4.50 a week, in small print at the bottom of the “i agree” screen, therers a big i agree button right infront of you, and a little gray one below it saying “no thanks” and once clicked it doesnt come up again

and his websites nonexistant, and his email probably isnt either, complained to google about it, its called “free movies” when they actually charge you £4.50 a week

]]> By: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People | Serving Niches Blog https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-141713 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:04:57 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-141713 […] 90percentofeverything […]

]]> By: Harry Brignull’s Dark Patterns Report makes headlines - Eighty Creative Blog https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-139924 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:04:27 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-139924 […] event was listening to leading UX blogger Harry Brignull’s (90 percent of everything) talk on ‘Dark Patterns’ and the evil tricks that designers play to make people do things […]

]]> By: Harry Brignull https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-139892 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:58:14 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-139892 Maddie, looking at TheLadders.co.uk now, it seems they’ve changed their design since you last checked. Do you have a dated screengrab?

]]> By: Maddie https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-139891 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:49:37 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-139891 The Ladders.co.uk – advertise jobs for £50k plus only, then charge you to access them and it is difficult to unsubscribe but with it being illegal to charge jobseekers in the UK this US firm has a page with a tiny tick box which is hard to find with “tick this box to apply for jobs for free” but unfortunately very few people realise this and pay to this unethical firm who sweep the internet for jobs from firms that have actually expired. Sharp practice indeed and these sharks set up here just as unemployment started rising!

]]> By: Melvin https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2010/07/08/dark-patterns-dirty-tricks-designers-use-to-make-people-do-stuff/#comment-139775 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:07:16 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=3868#comment-139775 Very interesting examples indeed!

I don’t feel any anger towards these sneaky techniques though; if I am on a site that tries it on… they just don’t get any of my money. Ever. I also badmouth them to anyone that will listen, and tweet about their sneakiness. More and more companies are keeping an eye on what’s being said about them online, so maybe one day soon they might pay attention and change their approach.

The same goes for sneaky techniques being used in physical retail premises, eg. Making you walk through the entire store to get to the section you want to go to (Ikea), constantly moving the location of items so you have to wander around looking for stuff (Sainsbury’s Locals), etc.

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