1. Stealth actions. They try to deceive the consumer or delay key information to define the purchase of a product. For example: adding additional products or hidden subscriptions without your informed consent.
2. Social proof. The abundance of descriptions of positive experiences about some product or service that, in reality, it is not known how authentic they are: product views, ratings, testimonials of uncertain origin. For example: “There are 100 more people viewing this offer right now.”
3. Urgency. They impose a deadline date and time to take advantage of an offer that is sold as unique.
Four. Shortage. They indicate to consumers the possibility that a product will be finished soon. “Hurry, there are only two pieces left.”
5. Diverting attention to mislead consumers. Messages or images to discourage or guide a particular decision. This may include shortlisting the most expensive products or including unnecessary or unsolicited accessories.
6. Obstruction. When you want to try to cancel a subscription, there is no easy and simple way to do it and they force you to contact customer service by phone, send emails or talk to a chatbot, in all the options they will give you a thousand laps before effectively canceling the service.
7. Confirmshaming. It is the use of language to blame the consumer and embarrass him if he rejects an offer. “No thanks. I don’t want a 10% discount or free products ”.
8. Forced actions. They force the consumer to do something to complete the purchase: Register an account or subscribe to a newsletter.
Regulation of dark patterns
Dark patterns are a mix of design, marketing and psychology tricks, but they are being ethically challenged. So much so that the state of California, in the United States, became Recently in the first in the country to incorporate privacy regulations to prohibit this practice.
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Through the California Consumer Privacy Act, this type of design gimmick is specifically prohibited. In this way, companies can no longer use dark patterns to confuse consumers or make them give more personal information than they actually want to give.
It also prohibits the use of confusing language or forcing the consumer to go through many obstacles with the aim of dissuading him from leaving a form. The regulation is expected to go beyond the care of personal data and seek to regulate the dark patterns that confuse consumers, guiding them to buy things that appear to be better than they really are.