Deceptive design patterns (also known as “dark patterns”) are tricks used in websites and apps to get you to do things you didn’t intend to do, such as buying or signing up for something. Deceptive design (“dark patterns”) is a rapidly expanding field of study, particularly in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and law.

In this article, I’ll talk about disguised ads, which are one of the most annoying types of deceptive patterns. Recognizing and avoiding disguised ads in the product is critical for maintaining a positive user experience.

What are disguised ads?

Disguised ads are adverts that are camouflaged as other kinds of content or navigation, in order to get you to click on them. The goal of these advertisements is to blend in with the website, app, or any other medium of information in order to match the form and function of the platform on which they appear.

Illustration by the author

So you want free stuff? Over my fake buttons!

A download button, which is placed within a website’s download section, is one of the most common types of a disguised ad. When the user clicks the button, they will be sent to the place that the ad’s creators chose instead of downloading the software.

The actual download button is the on on right top corner. Disguised ads are in red frames.

When looking for a free version of a product, whether a file or software, we frequently come across disguised advertisements. Ads are usually more visible than the actual download button.

When trying to download a book we see 2 visible download button which takes to the different website, actual download button doesn’t even look clickable.

However, disguised ads are not just download buttons where we look for free stuff on unknown websites. They are almost everywhere! Here is an example from the Google News feed offering discounts on Macbooks.

These “news stories” are not articles, they are ads.

Since there is no strict regulation on disguised ads that designers and marketers have to follow, it is up to the brand and particularly the UX designer to make sure they don’t utilize these techniques, which are not only annoying but also unethical.

Thank you for reading!