Bad Defaults and Honest defaults

How to Apply

Set opt-in choices (like newsletters or data sharing) to off by default and let users actively turn them on.
Write default option labels in plain language that states what happens, avoiding double negatives or confusing phrasing.
Add a short helper text near each default explaining why it’s set that way and how to change it.

Dark Pattern

Bad Defaults

Default settings are configured to favor the service provider, often exposing users to risks or unwanted actions unless manually changed.

Bad Defaults subverts the user’s expectation that default settings will be in their best interest, instead requiring users to take active steps to change settings that may cause harm or unintentional disclosure of information.

Contexts

settings
privacy

Harmed Goals

privacy
comprehension

Sources

Bright Pattern

Honest defaults

Open →

Sets default options that benefit users rather than business interests.

This pattern involves setting default options that are in the best interest of the user, rather than the business. For example, a default option to unsubscribe from marketing emails may be provided, rather than requiring users to opt-out.

Interaction Contexts

settings
checkout

Sources

Pattern Levels

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.

Approach: semantic vs flipping

Two different approaches to Bright Patterns:

Semantic Approach

This approach is used by Sandhaus. It defines concrete Bright Patterns for specific contexts — for example the Bright Pattern "Usage Limits", which describes an interface that restricts the usage time of a service to a healthy level.

Flipping Dark Patterns

The original way the term "Bright Pattern" was introduced: the direction of the manipulation is switched from harming the user to being user-friendly. For example, instead of highlighting the option that harms the user, the user-friendly option is highlighted.

Source:

How the Symbiosis Works

The symbiosis view connects dark patterns to bright alternatives

Dark Patterns match Bright Patterns

In the symbiosis view, each dark high/meso level pattern is paired with at least one matching bright pattern.

This view does not include low-level patterns, as these are implementation details. Refer to the related meso or high-level patterns for bright low-level alternatives.

Learn more about pattern levels in the pattern levels explainer.

Alternatives

Go into detail for each pair to see how a manipulative dark pattern can be replaced by an ethical bright pattern.

For that click on a pair in the symbiosis view to open its detail page. There you get a guide on how to apply the bright pattern and you can compare the bright pattern directly to the dark pattern.

Paul Bertram 2026

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