What are "Dark Patterns"? How do online businesses trick you to use their service or product?

        You might have seen websites with many download buttons on them and clicking on one of them might have redirected you to another page. Or you might have realized that there are two items that are already added into your cart that you never added on the shopping site from which you just checked out. Then you have just become a victim of Dark Pattern. So what is a Dark Pattern?

        Dark Patterns are tricks on a website or application that mislead the users so they do something they don't want to. It can also stop the users from doing something they want to.

Many download buttons are used on a website to trick the users

        Dark Patterns are used in some web pages, pop-ups and programs that use malware freeware and even fully paid software. A common example is including some additional program along with the program which user is installing. During installation the programs may be presented to the user as options in a visible check box. Generally, the additional programs are prior selected for download. To make it even more likely that the user won’t successfully prevent their download, the developers may make the complicated forms to fill completely and the users have to reselect “optional” programs in the event of an error. In another case the user selects between typical and advanced installations and the “typical” option includes unspecified third-party programs. When the user continues through installation by simply clicking “next” in the series of windows, they end up with many unwanted programs.

        Dark patterns are mostly used even with paid purchases or subscriptions. An additional item is automatically added  by the seller during a purchase, and hope that the buyer doesn't sees it before ordering. Subscriptions may be unintentionally selected where one-time purchases for goods, magazines or donations were intended in the same way. This practice is sometimes reinforced by policies like requiring post-delivered letters to unsubscribe.

Clicking on the X icon on the corner initiated the upgrade instead of closing it.

        Dark patterns are used almost as often by established companies as shady enterprises. Microsoft’s (Get Windows 10) update app is an accurate example. Microsoft offered Windows 10 freely to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. As time went on, however, Microsoft was not happy with user uptake and hence started using dark patterns in popups for the offer. Eventually, GWX presented a window with options to “upgrade now” and “upgrade later.” When any user tried to close the window by clicking on the X on the corner, it initiated the upgrade instead of closing it. Another example is of Amazon, the shopping website which makes closing an account almost impossible and the company continues to send promotional emails after users have unsubscribed.

        Due to growing negative reaction to dark patterns of online businesses and advertisers, they have a high chance of losing their customer permanently in the effort of increasing revenue. A movement is growing among responsible and ethical UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) developers to stop using dark patterns as their marketing strategy and to shame those who continue doing it.