A Pragmatic Taxonomy of Dark Patterns in E-commerce Interfaces: Evidence from a Pilot Between-Subjects Study
Štefan ŽÁK – Mária HASPROVÁ
https://doi.org/10.18267/pr.2026.vol.2587.36
Abstract: Dark patterns refer to interface design practices that steer user behaviour by exploiting well-documented behavioural tendencies and by shaping the choice architecture of digital journeys. Although the topic has attracted increasing scholarly and regulatory attention, applied research is often limited by inconsistent categorisation and heterogeneous operationalisations that hinder comparability across studies. This paper develops a pragmatic taxonomy of five high-prevalence dark-pattern categories in e-commerce interfaces and evaluates its empirical usability in a pilot between-subjects experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to a neutral control interface or to one condition in which a single dark-pattern element was implemented in a visually standardised static UI mock-up. Outcomes captured evaluative and self-reported decision-related responses measured with multi-item 7-point Likert-type scales. Group differences were examined using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA, complemented by pre-specified comparisons between each dark-pattern condition and the control condition. Results indicate systematic between-condition differences across all outcomes. The strongest and most consistent deviations from the control profile were observed for hidden costs and default opt-in. Urgency and scarcity produced moderate negative shifts on selected outcomes, whereas social proof showed a comparatively milder profile. The findings offer accessible evidence base for interface audits and provide actionable guidance for designing more ethically robust digital choice architectures.
Keywords: dark patterns, consumer decision-making, perceived manipulation, user autonomy, online consumer behaviour, experimental study
JEL Classification codes: M31
Fulltext: PDF
Published by: Prague University of Economics and Business, Oeconomica Publishing House
Year of publication: 2026
Online publication date: 20 May 2026
Copyright: Authors of the papers
ISBN 978-80-245-2587-7
ISSN 2453-6113
Pages 428-439