Updated on: October 14, 2024
In this interview series by Safety Detectives, I speak with cybersecurity experts who share actionable tips, insider knowledge, and predictions for the future, helping you understand what’s really happening with your data and how you can protect your digital life more effectively—without losing your sanity.
My guest today is Alessandro Fard, founder of CreateApe. With over 20 years of experience in UX and UI design, he has worked with leading brands like American Express, Facebook, TrueCar, Lynda.com, and Mota Motors, and he has been endorsed by top publications like VentureBeat and TechCrunch. He’s the perfect one to shed some light on a pressing issue for all of us online shoppers: dark patterns. He explained how these deceptive design tactics manipulate you, and provided hie practical tips to avoid them, and his vision for creating more ethical digital experiences.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and current role at your company?
I’ve been a UX guy for over two decades—basically, if there’s a button that needs to be pushed or a flow that makes you wonder how you ended up buying a second toaster, I’ve probably had something to do with it (don’t judge me).
My current role as founder and CEO of Create Ape is to be like a conductor in an orchestra—except instead of music, we create digital solutions that don’t make people want to throw their laptops out the window.
What are the most common examples of dark patterns that you’ve come across, and how can users recognize and avoid them?
Oh, dark patterns. They’re like the used car salesmen of the web world—sneaky, slimy, and usually involve some kind of “Oops, did we just charge your card? Our bad!” scenario.
A classic example is the good old “roach motel”—easy to get into but almost impossible to get out of. Think of those sneaky subscription services where canceling feels like a never-ending escape room.
How it works:
- You sign up to a subscription service. The process is quick and effortless. Just a few steps, usually online or through an app.
- One day you try to cancel your subscription or delete your account. This time you can’t even figure out how to do it, and you start juggling between hidden menus, lengthy phone calls, endless forms, in-person visits, etc.
Many companies use the roach motel pattern to maximize retention and revenue by making it very hard or even impossible for the user to leave. Common examples are streaming platforms, gyms, newsletters, booking apps, or eCcommerce websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Bigbasket, Nykaa, AJIO, Meesho, Tata CLIQ and TIRA, and even fundraising platforms like WinRed, which pushed users to commit to recurring donations without a clear option for cancellation. And let’s not start with social media platforms…
Another is the “confirm-shaming” where they guilt-trip you into doing something. “Oh, you don’t want to save 20% on your purchase? Fine, pay more. Your wallet must be overflowing!”
How it works:
You are trying to decline an offer or unsubscribe from a service…
The provider gives you a few options to do that, but he makes them look undesirable or morally questionable. For example, you may have to click on a button that says “No, I don’t care about helping others”. The button could have simply said “No”, but this way they make you feel selfish. The button may also look bad, using smaller fonts or dull colors.
Ecommerce stores and subscription services love to manipulate users into making decisions they might not otherwise choose using sentences like “Are you sure you want to leave us? We’ll miss you!”, “No, I don’t want to stay alive” (used by MyMedic in 2018), but they can also use visual elements to spark your sense of guilt, like Duolingo’s mascot sad face.
How to avoid them? If it feels like a website is playing games with you or making you second-guess your decisions, trust your gut. If it seems too good to be true or unnecessarily complicated, it probably is. Just watch out for that browser message when you try to close the tab ><
🛡️ Two tips to avoid falling victim to dark patterns
- Before clicking buttons or links, double-check what they say to make sure it’s what you want. Watch out for anything that sounds like it could lead to something bad if you decline.
- Ensure that there are straightforward ways to unsubscribe or cancel services before signing up.
Are there any dark patterns that have particularly shocked, surprised, or frustrated you, and why?
There was this one “sneak into basket” situation I came across. You know, the kind where you’re buying something simple like a pair of socks, but then magically, you’ve got a warranty or an extra item in your cart that you never asked for. Like, did I ask for a sock subscription? No. But there it was, ready to be shipped (don’t judge me but for some reason, adult toy sites seem to do this a lot…).
It’s shocking because it’s straight-up deceptive. What frustrated me the most is that some brands still think they can get away with it. The result is always the same—customers lose trust. It’s like dating; once you lie, good luck with the second date
This is another deceptive pattern loved by eCommerce sites, but also food delivery apps like Zomato have been noted for adding charitable donations to orders without user consent, but the most notorious one is probably Ryanair, which has been reported for automatically including optional travel insurance in the booking process (an illegal practice under EU consumer rights laws).
🛡️ Four tips to avoid the “Sneak into Basket” dark pattern
- Always check your shopping cart before finalizing a purchase. Look for any additional charges or items listed that you didn’t add intentionally.
- During the purchasing process, look for checkboxes or radio buttons that may be pre-selected. Make sure to uncheck these if you do not wish to include them.
- Whenever possible, go with a guest checkout instead of creating an account.
- Ad blockers can reduce the number of pop-ups and distractions during the checkout process.
What are the psychological principles behind these deceptive patterns? How are designers using them to manipulate users into making decisions they otherwise wouldn’t?
Designers (the ones leaning into the dark side) love using FOMO (fear of missing out), loss aversion, and social proof to mess with our heads. Humans are hardwired to avoid loss, so the mere suggestion that you might miss out on something fantastic is enough to push you over the edge.
It’s also about creating cognitive overload—too many choices or too much information means users are more likely to just click whatever’s in front of them to make the pain stop. And before you know it, you’ve bought a year’s worth of dog food for your neighbor’s cat.
What can web designers do to avoid using deceptive patterns?
It’s simple: stop being sneaky. Design with integrity. Ask yourself, “Would I feel good if my grandma was navigating this site?” If the answer is no, then maybe rethink what you’re doing. The golden rule applies here—design as you’d want others to design for you.
If you’re building a site with good UX, you should help users make informed decisions, not trick them into actions they didn’t mean to take. Transparency builds trust, and trust leads to loyal users. Win-win, right?
Another really important thing is for designers to educate their team members, especially executive leadership. Sometimes overly eager directors or executives might push for decisions without realizing they’re teetering on the edge of shady. For example, early in my career at zag.com, one of the execs thought it was perfectly fine for a “submit” button to say “next.” Sounds harmless, right? Well, when users clicked that button, their personal information was immediately sent to a fleet of used car salesmen who would aggressively chase them down to make a sale. Talk about bad juju…
I was pulled into that meeting because the customer service reps were dealing with some seriously unhappy people. It’s a classic case of being disingenuous and not being upfront with users about what’s really happening. And here’s the kicker—when we fixed the issue and were transparent with users, trust went up, and so did positive testimonials. Funny how that works, right?
Do you think current laws are enough to protect users from deceptive patterns? What can be improved?
The laws we’ve got right now are… well, they’re doing their best.
But let’s be honest—it’s kind of like bringing a garden hose to a wildfire. You’re not going to put it out with that. There are way too many loopholes, and the pace at which dark patterns evolve is lightning fast.
Regulations are still playing catch-up with what’s happening on the ground. Every time you close a loophole, three more pop up because these tactics are rooted in human psychology, which is, by nature, complex and easily exploited.
Take GDPR, for example—it made huge strides in privacy, but companies quickly figured out how to manipulate cookie consent banners so that users just give up and click “Accept.” It’s a good step, but it’s far from perfect. We need laws that can adapt as quickly as the tech does, and unfortunately, bureaucracy isn’t exactly known for its speed. We’re dealing with a digital world that’s evolving at an exponential rate, while most regulations are moving at a snail’s pace.
And it’s not just about speed; it’s about accountability. Designers, product teams, and companies need to be held responsible when they deliberately use manipulative tactics. It’s a bit like cybersecurity—no matter how good your firewalls are, hackers will always find a way in unless there’s constant vigilance. The same applies to dark patterns. Unless we have stronger enforcement and penalties for deceptive practices, companies will continue to exploit grey areas because, hey, it’s profitable.
One thing that could help is clearer definitions in the law about what constitutes a dark pattern. Right now, there’s a lot of ambiguity, and that makes enforcement tricky. If we could pin down more specific rules, it’d be a lot harder for companies to argue, “Oh, we didn’t realize making the unsubscribe button invisible was a problem.” Really? Didn’t realize?
So, while the legal system is trying, we need to see more proactive measures—like audits, fines that hurt, and making it harder for companies to plead ignorance. We also need global collaboration on this issue because the web is borderless. What’s shady in one country might be business as usual in another. We’re all playing the same game, so the rules need to reflect that.
What do you think the future holds for UX design? Will we see an industry-wide shift toward more ethical practices, or will deceptive patterns continue to evolve in more subtle ways?
I think it’ll be a mix of both. As users get savvier, they’ll demand more ethical practices, and companies will (hopefully) rise to the occasion. But let’s be real—where there’s a way to exploit human psychology, someone’s going to try it. I do think, though, that designers are becoming more aware of the harm dark patterns cause, and as we move forward, there’ll be more pressure to prioritize ethical design. At least, that’s the dream.
Lastly, what is one thing you wish more people understood about UX design and avoid being manipulated?
At its core, UX design should feel effortless. Think of it like breathing: you don’t need to think about it, it just happens. A well-designed website or app doesn’t force you into decisions; it nudges you along, letting you feel in control the whole way. If you start feeling cornered or manipulated, something’s gone wrong.
Bad design leaves you with a sense of frustration or regret—and trust me, no product, no matter how shiny, is worth that feeling. If it feels like the site’s playing mind games, it probably is. Don’t be afraid to hit that ‘X’ and move on—there are always better-designed, less frustrating options out there.
At CreateApe we are always working to educate our clients around best practices that increase conversion and ROI without relying on deceptive patterns or practices. We can make an amazing user experience that resonates with users and enhances the overall brand and product offering.
How can people connect with you?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afard/