Individual HTML example · Forced action

Reward loop required for document export

A fictional study service makes certificate export depend on completing seven daily streak tasks that were not disclosed when the course was bought.

Gamified or paid access coercionLearning platformAccount Management

This is an original fictional comparison. It depicts no real company and is not a legal finding or safe harbour.

Learning platformAccount Management

Reward loop required for document export

A fictional study service makes certificate export depend on completing seven daily streak tasks that were not disclosed when the course was bought.

Potentially problematicKeep the streak to export
Neutral alternativeYour certificate is ready

Why the first version can mislead: The additional dependency controls access to the account management goal. The panel states: “Seven more daily tasks are required before the certificate link activates.” Reviewers need to establish whether “Return tomorrow” is necessary for the selected task or pressures the user into a separable action. Learners may be forced into additional engagement or lose a completion record they already earned.

What a fairer design does: Provide the earned certificate directly and present streak activities as optional learning support.

Show annotated differences (2)
Potentially problematic version
  • Unconfirmed state: Return tomorrowIn “Reward loop required for document export”, this element shows how gamified or paid access coercion can shape the decision.
Neutral alternative
  • Persisted account state, expanded: The saved state behind “Download certificate” remains consistent after refresh and across supported channels.In “Reward loop required for document export”, this element keeps the clearer alternative visible at the same decision point.
Review questions (3)
  • What functional need makes “Return tomorrow” necessary for the learning platform goal, and can that need be met with less disclosure or commitment?
  • Test the control across refresh, device and account states; is “Repeated labour or additional payment is the effective unlock route” still observable after persistence is considered?
  • Could the stated purpose make this dependency genuinely necessary under the boundary “clearly disclosed optional cosmetic purchases”, and what product evidence would demonstrate that necessity?
Side-by-side learning platform interface showing “Keep the streak to export” and the clearer alternative “Your certificate is ready”.Provenance: Original hypothetical learning platform example created for this library; no real business, product or interface is depicted.

Complete pattern context

How this example relates to Gamified or paid access coercion

Desired functionality is practically conditioned on repetitive engagement or an additional payment not sufficiently clear at acquisition. 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

  1. Dark commercial patternsOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development · Secondary · checked 2026-09-14 · OECD Digital Economy Papers No. 336
  2. Unfair Commercial Practices DirectiveEuropean Parliament and Council of the European Union · Primary · checked 2026-08-09 · Directive 2005/29/EC; CELEX 02005L0029-20220528