A fictional repair plan headlines “Every appliance covered” but splits an exclusion for boilers across three collapsed help tabs reached only after booking.
Hidden informationHome-services planPricing
This is an original fictional comparison. It depicts no real company and is not a legal finding or safe harbour.
Home-services planPricing
Major exclusion dispersed across tabs
A fictional repair plan headlines “Every appliance covered” but splits an exclusion for boilers across three collapsed help tabs reached only after booking.
Potentially problematicEvery appliance covered
Every appliance covered. The boiler exclusion appears only across several remote help tabs.. See full terms, collapsed. Review coverage
The boiler exclusion appears only across several remote help tabs.
See full terms
Review coverage
→
Neutral alternativeCore coverage and exclusions
Core coverage and exclusions. Boilers are not covered; the limitation appears beside the plan summary.. Review coverage, expanded: Review coverage. See full terms. Material term visible before choice: Review coverage
Boilers are not covered; the limitation appears beside the plan summary.
Review coverageReview coverage
See full terms
Material term visible before choice: Review coverage
Why the first version can mislead: The presentation changes what the user can notice or predict at the pricing decision. The problematic state shows: “The boiler exclusion appears only across several remote help tabs.” Its influence should be tested by comparing the consequence and usability of “See full terms” with “Review coverage”. A customer may buy unsuitable cover because a material limitation cannot inform the decision.
What a fairer design does: State the major exclusion in the offer summary and use supporting detail to explain, not reverse, the headline.
Show annotated differences (2)
Potentially problematic version
Review coverageIn “Major exclusion dispersed across tabs”, this element shows how hidden or low-salience material information can shape the decision.
Neutral alternative
Material term visible before choice: Review coverageIn “Major exclusion dispersed across tabs”, this element keeps the clearer alternative visible at the same decision point.
Review questions (3)
Do “See full terms” and “Review coverage” receive comparable prominence and explain their consequences before activation?
Capture the collapsed and expanded states plus the associated decision control; is “It is missing, hidden, low-salience, unclear, inaccessible, untimely or overwhelming” visible at the right time?
What neutral rendering or comprehension result would falsify the classification, particularly in light of “late mandatory charge or subscription term already classified under the more specific sneaking pattern for the same evidence”?
Side-by-side home-services plan interface showing “Every appliance covered” and the clearer alternative “Core coverage and exclusions”.Provenance: Original hypothetical home-services plan example created for this library; no real business, product or interface is depicted.
Complete pattern context
How this example relates to Hidden information
Information relevant to the decision is absent or presented so ineffectively that it is unlikely to inform the user at the decision point. 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.
Non-refundable condition appears after fare selection
Rail fare comparisonPricing
A fictional rail booking page labels a fare “Flexible Saver” but places the fact that it is non-refundable inside a collapsed section reached only after passenger details.
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.
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.
Dark commercial patternsOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development · Secondary · checked 2026-09-14 · OECD Digital Economy Papers No. 336
Unfair Commercial Practices DirectiveEuropean Parliament and Council of the European Union · Primary · checked 2026-08-09 · Directive 2005/29/EC; CELEX 02005L0029-20220528
Consumer Rights DirectiveEuropean Parliament and Council of the European Union · Primary · checked 2026-08-09 · Directive 2011/83/EU; CELEX 02011L0083-20220528
