Manipulation by online ads to mould consumer behaviour under ASCI radar

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Thursday released an extensive discussion paper, drawing attention to how digital platforms use UI/UX design to manipulate consumer choices and mould consumer behaviours.

Practices like drip pricing, where only a part of the actual cost is disclosed to a potential buyer and the total price is revealed only at the very end, or creating a false urgency by implying that a certain product is limited, all fall under such manipulative tactics or dark patterns.

Researcher’s say that UI/UX developers use data on how the eye moves on a screen to design user interfaces for apps. However, dark patterns use this information to guide consumer surfing, thus impairing the surfing experience.