Dark UX patterns indie hackers should avoid
- Bait and Switch
- Disguised Ad
- Misdirection
- Friend Spam
- Hidden Costs
- Trick Question
- Confirmshaming
- Roach Motel
- FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
- Sneak into Basket
Any others to add to the list?
Source: https://uxdesign.cc/10-evil-types-of-dark-ux-patterns-f5a408c43c62
This might be controversial but one that puts me off is forcing someone to join an email list to get a free product. I feel like if I saw that person give good advice/articles several more times, I'd probably register to be on their e-mail list anyway except that time it would be totally voluntary. I'm not saying that the technique isn't effective, but I'm just saying for me personally it can feel heavy handed sometimes, especially if I haven't built up a level of trust yet.
Yes, that one puts off everyone.
On the other side, people, who make those freebies probably aren't the top result on Google every time you search for something similar so there is not like a 90% chance you will come back. Of course... speaking of searching for similar things like design freebies.
If they get your e-mail address right away, you may be a little bit annoyed for a while, but you will forgive quickly if they deliver quality relevant content and don't spam you. What do you think?
That's true, I definitely have a lot more patience for emails that deliver a lot of quality. I'm not really sure what the best technique is for attracting subscribers, I haven't nailed the SEO game in the slightest, but I've still seen my monthly view count rise steadily month over month as I continue to put out good blog posts. What have you found works the best?
Requiring payment information to start a free trial. You know damn well that some people who don't plan on using the product/service will forget to cancel.
Requiring payment information is maybe OK as a filter, to avoid abuse (in that case, please do send warning emails when the trial is about to expire). But often it is just a form of scamming a month or two worth of payments from forgetful people.
Ugh, I see "confirmshaming" and "fomo" everywhere and I hate it.
For me the number one thing is hiding prices and asking to „get in touch for a quote“
When I see this, the service is dismissed immediately
This comment was deleted 3 years ago
Hidden cost is definitely the worst, and unfortunately, it's also becoming quite popular lately!
This comment was deleted 5 years ago