Articles

Dark Patterns in Online Shopping: of Sneaky Tricks, Perceived Annoyance and Respective Brand Trust

September 11, 2025
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C. Voigt, Stephan Schlögl, Aleksander Groth
This research investigates the impact of dark patterns on user experience, specifically focusing on perceived annoyance and brand trust. An experiment involving 204 participants using two versions of a fictitious online shop (one with dark patterns, one without) revealed that dark patterns lead to higher perceived annoyance. A significant connection was found between perceived annoyance and expressed brand trust. However, the study did not find a connection between participants' affinity for technology and their ability to recognize and counter dark patterns.
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