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mthomstoday at 5:31 PM2 repliesview on HN

Some ADHD folks have something called "justice sensitivity"[0]. Put plainly, we get more bothered than neurotypical folks by actions and events we view as morally wrong.

I can't say for certain that this is caused by my ADHD or not, but I have a "sensitivity" to dark patterns. That is to say, dark patterns bug me more than they probably should.

Hiding the pricing until after signup is a dark pattern. It's a clear case of the company optimizing for their interests over mine and they are therefore unworthy of my trust (or so my brain tells me). After all, what other user-hostile design decisions are they going to make?

What ends up happening is that my brain puts its guard up, and keeps it up. It's constantly on the lookout for more subtle tricks and corner cutting.

Furthermore, I'm offended that they think I'm that stupid (but that's probably the developer in me and not my ADHD).

The landing page piqued my interest but then let me down. Hard. Not because $40 a month (as reported by another user here) is too much, but because I find dark patterns to be morally repugnant.

[0] https://edgefoundation.org/the-fairness-imperative-adhd-and-...

P.S. I struggled to write this as its first thing in the morning and I haven't even had coffee.


Replies

christalwangtoday at 5:49 PM

I just wanted to clarify, this app is COMPLETELY FREE. There is no cost.

The cost you're seeing is for our other product that includes live body doubling (co-working) sessions that are guided by our ADHD coaches. I think I might remove that link or move it to the bottom. Sorry for the confusion!

christalwangtoday at 5:59 PM

And just to add, I also have the justice sensitivity! Because of that, even our other service (ADHD coaching) has all the prices VERY clearly on the home page. It includes the monthly price in big font and a clear summary of what's included in each package. https://www.shimmer.care/