Two promises
Good CRO makes two promises to visitors:
- We won’t trick you. Changes help people decide; they don’t manipulate.
- We won’t shut you out. Everyone can use the page, whatever device, ability or situation.
Breaking either one may lift a metric for a while. It costs trust, complaints, refunds and, increasingly, legal trouble.
Dark patterns
Dark patterns (or deceptive patterns) are designs that push people into things they didn’t mean to do. Common ones (Deceptive.design):
- Fake urgency and scarcity: timers that reset, “only 2 left” that’s always true.
- Hidden costs: fees that appear only at the last step.
- Sneaking: adding items or subscriptions to the basket without asking.
- Confirmshaming: “No thanks, I don’t like saving money.”
- Hard to cancel: easy to sign up, a maze to leave.
- Preselection: boxes ticked by default for things the user didn’t choose.
Accessibility is conversion
If a visitor can’t see the button, can’t read the text or can’t complete the form, they can’t convert. WCAG 2.2 sets out what accessible pages need (W3C). The basics catch most problems:
- Text contrast of at least 4.5:1
- A visible label for every input
- Everything works with a keyboard, with a visible focus outline
- Errors explained in text, next to the field
- Pages still work at 200% zoom
Many of these fixes help everyone: a clear error message saves a frustrated shopper on a train just as much as a screen reader user.
Three checks for any test idea
- Would we be happy to explain it to the customer? If not, don’t run it.
- Is every claim true right now? Stock, prices, reviews, deadlines.
- Can everyone use both versions? QA with a keyboard and a screen reader, not just a mouse.
Recap
Dark patterns trade long-term trust for short-term numbers. Accessibility barriers are conversion barriers. Check every idea for honesty and inclusiveness before it goes into the backlog. For more depth, read ethical CRO and accessibility and conversion.
Next lesson: the WXM cycle.
Practical exercise
Go through your sign-up or checkout with only a keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space). Note every place you get stuck or can't see where you are. Then look for one pattern from the dark patterns list on the same journey.