Dark Pattern: False Sense of Urgency

Landed on one of the Interaction Design Foundation articles, the timer on the right side of the website caught my attention.  

The first thing that came to my mind was Dark pattern. 

The screenshot shows the timer on a card view of one of their Human-Computer Interaction courses.

What’s Dark Pattern?

“a manipulative technique used to either encourage or discourage a user action”

Ashley Firth well described the symptoms of such design decisions (e.g., time-sensitive sales) on peoples’ lives, especially those individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and psychosis.

Some symptoms:

• A sense of urgency

• Fear of missing out

• Feel pressured to make decisions more quickly

• Encourage impulsive behaviour and purchases

• Unhappy customers

• A large volume of customer service call

Creating a false sense of urgency will negatively impact business goals in the long run.

Firth. (2019). Practical Web Inclusion and Accessibility A Comprehensive Guide to Access Needs (1st ed. 2019.). Apress. E-book