With the rise of dark patterns in UX, it’s never been more essential that the products we design are honest and reliable.

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.” — Edward R. Murrow

Dark UX is when designers create an experience that nudges users in a direction that benefits the interests of the company rather than the user.

Instead of deceiving users with dark patterns, we can build credibility through ethical experiences that put the user’s interests first, even at the expense of short term gain.

Joshua Porter writes in Honest Interfaces, “when part of our product is confusing, misleading, or suspicious, the users’ trust will begin to erode. When even the slightest hint of bad behavior sneaks in, the user has already begun to withdraw from further interaction.”

1. Notify Me