Analysis of Manipulative Design Patterns (Dark Patterns) in Czech E-commerce and a Proposal for an Ethical Redesign of the Shopping Process

This bachelor's thesis deals with the analysis and evaluation of deceptive design patterns (Dark Patterns) within the Czech e-commerce environment. The goal of the work is to identify the occurrence of these manipulative techniques and to experimentally verify the ability of Czech consumers to recognize these elements, taking into account intergenerational differences. Based on a synthesis of the works of Brignull, Mathur, and Gray, the theoretical part defines a taxonomy of deceptive patterns, analyzes their psychological grounding in dual-process theory, and maps the relevant legislative framework of the European Union and the Czech Republic. In the practical part, a quantitative analysis using eight model shopping scenarios was conducted on a sample of 130 respondents. The results of the investigation demonstrated a critically low detection success rate for social proof (25%) and false scarcity (27%) patterns. Statistical testing confirmed the hypothesis of higher resilience in Generation Z compared to Generation X and demonstrated a strong correlation (0.59) between the time spent completing the questionnaire (dedicated to the analysis of user interfaces via screenshots) and the success of deception detection. The work also documents the relationship between the use of unethical design and decreased purchase loyalty. The practical output is a proposal for an ethical redesign, which demonstrates the possibilities of a transparent and user-fair approach to digital design.