Dark Pattern & Deceptive Design Audits

We audit beyond the interface.

Manipulation isn’t always visible on the screen. It’s often embedded deeper — in timing, architecture, defaults, and decision flows that subtly steer users toward outcomes that serve platforms, not people.

Our audits go beyond identifying bad buttons or misleading language. We evaluate entire systems of influence: how design, personalisation, and behavioural targeting interact to shape user journeys, suppress informed consent, or obstruct exit.

We assess these tactics against data protection law, consumer protection frameworks, the AI Act, and the Digital Services and Markets Acts

 — with a focus on impact, risk, and legality.

This is not a checklist exercise. It’s a forensic review of digital design logic.

Interface Design
Dark patterns in UI: visual hierarchy, deceptive copy, default selections, disguised ads, or exploitative nudges.

System Architecture
Trigger-based and conditional behaviours: how the system adapts to account status, behaviour, or demographics.

Sludge and Friction
Obstructive flows that discourage or delay: cancelling, unsubscribing, opting out, or accessing entitlements.

Personalisation and Targeting
Differential treatment of users based on data profiling — including discriminatory or coercive defaults.

Risk & Legal Exposure
We map violations or legal tensions under UK law, the UCPD, the GDPR (Articles 5–6, 7, 25), DMA, DSA, Data Act, and the AI Act.

Every audit results in a structured, evidence-led deliverable tailored to your system’s architecture, regulatory exposure, and user impact. Our outputs are designed to be immediately usable by legal, compliance, and product teams. 

• Full report identifying manipulative tactics, ranked by legal, ethical, and reputational risk
• Visual walkthroughs of key flows (annotated screenshots + user journey mapping)
• Recommendations for redesign or mitigation

We don’t just flag problems — we offer clear, practical steps to fix them. Whether preparing for regulatory scrutiny, improving internal practices, or building ethical-by-design products, we equip you to act clearly and confidently.

We offer:

• Standalone audits of specific user journeys or flows
• System-wide reviews across web, mobile, and app environments
• Ongoing advisory during product (re)development
• Bespoke briefings for board, compliance, or public reporting.

All engagements are tailored. We scope based on system complexity, risk profile, and regulatory context.

See the system. Spot the snare. 

Shift the standard. 

Understanding the architecture behind deceptive design is essential whether you're driving accountability, redesigning user journeys, or exposing digital manipulation.

• Regulators and oversight bodies conducting investigations or reviews
• Design & product teams seeking to eliminate deceptive design
• DPOs & Compliance leads preparing for audits, enforcement, or media scrutiny
• Civil society groups mapping systemic harms to inform policy or litigation