Dark Patterns Symbiosis Bright Patterns
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Sneaking

Sneaking is a strategy which hides, disguises, or delays the disclosure of important information that, if made available to users, would cause a user to unintentionally take an action they would likely object to.
Sneaking
Illustration

Interaction Contexts

  • checkout
  • pricing

Harmed Goals

  • transparency
  • financial

Symbiosis

Bright alternatives to this dark pattern

  • Fairness
    Ensures ethical treatment of users through transparent practices and respect for user autonomy.
    View pair →

Examples

Mein ID

Source
First comment in a forum is always an ad only described by the (Anzeige) in the text which comes after the first link.
First comment in a forum is always an ad only described by the (Anzeige) in the text which comes after the first link.

Selfmade Example

The website added two additional items into the basket
The website added two additional items into the basket

Selfmade Example

User is required to pay for a video thought to be free
User is required to pay for a video thought to be free

Sources

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

Direct
Inferred

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.

Source not found.
Paul Bertram 2026
Impressum Datenschutz

Source not found.

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.