Deceptive design patterns in health applications
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Date
2025-07-07
Authors
Λιούτα, Ευθαλία
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the occurrence, types, and impact of deceptive design patterns in health applications. As digital health tools become central to the management of our health, their design decisions increasingly affect user autonomy, trust, and informed consent. The study begins with an extensive literature review covering existing taxonomies of deceptive practices, the psychological and emotional mechanisms behind manipulation, and the relevant European legal frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Services Act. Recognizing that existing evaluation tools often overlook the specific sensitivities of health contexts, the research proposes a new framework combining legal, emotional, and usability criteria. The framework includes 25 questions across four main components: the use of deceptive patterns (e.g., forced action, preselection), clarity and simplicity in design, language and emotional tone, and transparency regarding data collection and cookie policies. A Likert-scale scoring method measures the frequency and severity of manipulative practices. The framework was applied to eight widely used health applications, including Flo, Clue, DoctorAnytime, and MyHealth, to assess its practical value and highlight areas of concern. Results indicate that deceptive design is widespread, especially in areas related to consent and data transparency, where users are frequently nudged or pressured to share personal information without clear understanding. While commercial apps showed higher scores due to monetization models, even public-sector platforms exhibited problematic practices. The findings emphasize the need for stricter regulations, clearer guidelines, and more user-centered approaches in designing health technologies. Finally, the thesis discusses limitations, including the lack of long-term user studies, and proposes future research to examine how these patterns influence user decisions and well-being over time.
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Παραπλανητικός σχεδιασμός, Εφαρμογές υγείας