67 Design And Advertising Decisions That Can Only Be Described As Malicious And Manipulative (New Pics)

The sad truth is that a lot of so-called “evil” design exists entirely on purpose. It’s built to nudge people into doing what companies want, and that almost always means spending money.

Much of this happens on websites and apps, where it goes by a fitting name: dark patterns, or deceptive patterns. These are sneaky design tricks that get users to do things they never actually meant to do, like signing up for something they didn’t want or paying charges they didn’t notice.

The term was coined by user experience designer Harry Brignull on July 28, 2010, when he launched darkpatterns.org, a “pattern library with the specific goal of naming and shaming deceptive user interfaces.”

So what does this actually look like in practice? Well, one common dark pattern is called bait-and-switch. This is when something gets advertised as free or heavily discounted, but when you go to get it, it’s either out of stock or barely available. Then the page conveniently shows you pricier options instead.

Another one many people have likely fallen for at some point is drip pricing. It starts with a nice low price, and then extra fees and taxes keep appearing the further you get into the checkout.

By the time you see the real total, you’ve already spent so much time on it that you just go ahead anyway. Hotel bookings and airline tickets are probably the most well-known examples of this.

Then there’s misdirection, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Something in the design distracts you just long enough for something else to happen without you noticing.

A good example is when you install a program and it sneakily installs other stuff alongside it or changes your default search engine without ever really asking.

Perhaps the most infuriating one of all is something called the Roach Motel. The name says it all: easy to get in, nearly impossible to get out. Companies make signing up for a subscription quick and simple, then hide the cancel option so well it’s almost impossible to find.

Some have made users email customer support just to cancel. Others, not too long ago, actually required customers to send a cancellation request by postal mail, according to Ironhack. Yes, really.

The good news is that regulators are catching up. In many countries, manipulative tactics are being made illegal.

In the EU, for example, the Digital Services Act, which came into effect in 2024, banned dark patterns, including those subscription traps. It now requires that canceling a service be just as easy as signing up for one. A long time coming, but a welcome change.