Business | Bartleby

Of roach motels and countdown clocks

Illustration of a businessman arching his back to avoid being poked by a pointing finger cursor
Illustration: Paul Blow

|4 min read

Digital design sounds innocuous enough. Dark patterns, less so. That’s the term for user interfaces which nudge or manipulate consumers into making choices they otherwise wouldn’t.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Light and shade”

From the October 18th 2025 edition

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