Dark Patterns Symbiosis Bright Patterns
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Personalization

Personalization subverts the user’s expectation that products or service features are offered to all users in similar ways, instead using personal data to shape elements of the user experience that manipulate the user’s goals while hiding other alternatives.
Personalization
Illustration

Interaction Contexts

  • settings

Harmed Goals

  • transparency
  • control

Symbiosis

Bright alternatives to this dark pattern

  • Persona profiling
    Transparently shows users how they are categorized and profiled by the system.
    View pair →
  • Transparent recommender
    Reveals the logic and criteria behind recommendations to users.
    View pair →

Sources

Dark Pattern Ontology adapted from Gray et al. (CHI ’24)

Direct

Pattern Levels

High-Level Patterns Strategy Domain & Context Diagnostic (abstract)

High-level patterns include general strategies that can be employed through a range of modalities and technologies and application types

Meso-Level Patterns Angle of Attack Domain & Context Diagnostic (interpretable)

Meso-level patterns describe a context-agnostic angle of attack and may be interpreted in relation to context based on the specific modality or application type

Low-Level Patterns Means of Execution Domain & Context Specific (situated)

Low-level patterns are situated and contextually dependent, including specific means of execution

Diagram: High (strategy, diagnostic), Meso (angle of attack, still diagnostic), Low (means of execution, context specific). Integrated textual descriptions appear within each layer.

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Paul Bertram 2026
Impressum Datenschutz

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Sources

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Pattern Levels

High-Level Patterns Strategy Domain & Context Diagnostic (abstract)

High-level patterns include general strategies that can be employed through a range of modalities and technologies and application types

Meso-Level Patterns Angle of Attack Domain & Context Diagnostic (interpretable)

Meso-level patterns describe a context-agnostic angle of attack and may be interpreted in relation to context based on the specific modality or application type

Low-Level Patterns Means of Execution Domain & Context Specific (situated)

Low-level patterns are situated and contextually dependent, including specific means of execution

Diagram: High (strategy, diagnostic), Meso (angle of attack, still diagnostic), Low (means of execution, context specific). Integrated textual descriptions appear within each layer.