Dark patterns, also called deceptive design, are design choices that benefit a business by steering users against their own interests. The term was coined by UX designer Harry Brignull in 2010. Examples include hiding the cancel option, pre-checking add-ons, disguising ads as content, fake urgency, and wording that shames people for declining. Regulators in the US, EU and UK increasingly treat many of these practices as unlawful.
Common types
Catalogs of dark patterns vary, but a few types appear in nearly every list.
- Roach motel: easy to sign up, hard to cancel.
- Hidden costs: fees revealed only at the last step.
- Sneaking: adding items or subscriptions without clear consent.
- Confirmshaming: guilt-laden wording on decline options.
- False urgency or scarcity: fake timers and stock counts.
- Disguised ads and misdirection: ads styled as content or controls.
- Preselection: consent or add-ons ticked by default.
- Nagging: repeated prompts until the user gives in.
Regulation
The US Federal Trade Commission published a 2022 staff report, Bringing Dark Patterns to Light, and has brought cases over subscription traps and deceptive signups. Its 2024 click-to-cancel rule was vacated by a federal appeals court in 2025, but the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act and many state automatic renewal laws still apply. In the EU, the Digital Services Act prohibits online platforms from deceptive interface design, and consumer protection and data protection laws cover related practices, including consent banners. Requirements differ by jurisdiction, so check with counsel.
Why they hurt SaaS businesses
A trap that prevents cancellation may delay churn but generates chargebacks, complaints, public reviews and regulatory risk. Users who feel tricked tell others. For subscription businesses that depend on trust and word of mouth, honest design is also the commercially safer choice.
Example
Fixing a cancellation flow
Hypothetical social scheduling tool Bramblecrest requires users to email support to cancel, while signup takes one click. It adds a self-serve cancel button in billing settings, a single optional exit survey question and a clear offer to pause instead, then tracks complaints, chargebacks and reactivations.
Common mistakes
Testing your way into a dark pattern
A/B tests can reward manipulative variants because they lift short-term numbers. Review variants for honesty, and measure refunds, complaints and churn.
Asymmetric consent banners
A large “Accept all” button beside a hidden “Reject” option has drawn enforcement from European data protection authorities. Make choices equally easy.
Questions
No. Clear calls to action, real social proof and honest deadlines help people decide. A pattern becomes dark when it deceives, hides information or makes the user's preferred option needlessly hard.
