Bundled options
Support and migration locked into one plan
A fictional service offers a core plan only as a bundle with premium support and data migration, while implying those extras can be removed later although no controls exist.
Individual HTML example · Interface interference
Ticket and travel pass presented as one package
A fictional ticket seller offers a concert ticket only through a control that also adds a city travel pass, although the travel component is separately deliverable and not required for entry.
This is an original fictional comparison. It depicts no real company and is not a legal finding or safe harbour.
Ticket and travel pass presented as one package
A fictional ticket seller offers a concert ticket only through a control that also adds a city travel pass, although the travel component is separately deliverable and not required for entry.
Ticket plus city travel. The only visible selection combines entry and an optional transport product.. Selected: Choose package €78. Not selected: Choose ticket only €65
Build your booking. The €65 ticket and optional €13 travel pass have separate controls.. Not selected: Choose ticket only €65. Not selected: Choose package €78. Choice consequences, expanded: The consequence of selecting “Choose ticket only €65” is displayed beside the option.
Why the first version can mislead: The presentation changes what the user can notice or predict at the checkout decision. The problematic state shows: “The only visible selection combines entry and an optional transport product.” Its influence should be tested by comparing the consequence and usability of “Choose package €78” with “Choose ticket only €65”. A customer may pay for an unwanted component because two distinct products are presented as one indivisible choice.
What a fairer design does: Show the event ticket and optional travel pass as separately priced selections before the basket changes.
Show annotated differences (2)
Potentially problematic version
- Not selected: Choose ticket only €65In “Ticket and travel pass presented as one package”, this element shows how bundled options can shape the decision.
Neutral alternative
- Choice consequences, expanded: The consequence of selecting “Choose ticket only €65” is displayed beside the option.In “Ticket and travel pass presented as one package”, this element keeps the clearer alternative visible at the same decision point.
Review questions (3)
- Do “Choose package €78” and “Choose ticket only €65” receive comparable prominence and explain their consequences before activation?
- Capture every peer option, its default state and visual prominence; do those states support “One control has two or more separable consequences”?
- What neutral rendering or comprehension result would falsify the classification, particularly in light of “Genuinely indivisible product”?
Complete pattern context
How this example relates to Bundled options
Distinct products, services, permissions or purposes are grouped under one choice so the user cannot readily understand or select them separately. The label describes a recurring design mechanism; whether a particular implementation is harmful or unlawful depends on the complete journey, audience, evidence and rules within scope.
The full guide explains inclusion and exclusion criteria, harms, fair design principles, evidence questions and the relevant EU legal information layers. The example page isolates one scenario so it can be shared and discussed without reproducing the complete library on one page.
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Sources and provenance for this example
Evidence base
Sources
- An Ontology of Dark Patterns KnowledgeGray et al.; ACM CHI 2024 · Secondary · checked 2026-09-14 · DOI 10.1145/3613904.3642436; arXiv:2309.09640
- Behavioural study on unfair commercial practices in the digital environmentEuropean Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers · Secondary · checked 2026-09-14 · DOI 10.2838/859030; ISBN 978-92-76-52316-1
- Unfair Commercial Practices DirectiveEuropean Parliament and Council of the European Union · Primary · checked 2026-08-09 · Directive 2005/29/EC; CELEX 02005L0029-20220528