ASCI Academy, the training arm of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), has launched an e-learning course titled ‘Ethical UI/UX Designs: Building Consumer Trust’ to address compliance and ethical concerns in digital interface design. The course has been launched in collaboration with Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and has targeted digital marketers, e-commerce firms, product professionals and designers.
The launch has come amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of dark patterns in India and globally, with authorities stepping up action against deceptive digital practices. The initiative has focused on strengthening understanding of how interface design influences user behaviour while aligning organisations with ASCI codes and applicable laws.
The course has drawn relevance from recent findings that have highlighted continued use of prohibited design tactics despite self-certification by platforms. An independent LocalCircles survey has found that a majority of large digital platforms claiming to be free of dark patterns have continued to deploy practices such as drip pricing, forced action prompts and basket sneaking, underscoring gaps in compliance and awareness, as per the survey findings.
ASCI Academy’s 40-minute e-learning programme has been structured into three modules. The first has introduced the fundamentals of UI and UX and their impact on consumer decision-making. The second has identified and explained deceptive design patterns, while the third has examined their effect on consumer trust and has outlined ethical alternatives to enable compliant digital experiences.
The course has been positioned as a practical compliance-focused intervention, with participants receiving a certificate upon successful completion and assessment, recognising their capability to design consumer-centric and compliant digital interfaces.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI, said: “As Indian advertising’s ethical compass, we are strongly focused on compliance training. While we have been working with the authorities to sensitise consumers and the industry about dark patterns, we are now putting words into action with this course. We strongly believe advertisers can make ethical and compliant user interfaces work for them, and the course will demonstrate that. It is geared to help the industry to build consumer trust in these times of dark patterns and support their long-term brand credibility.”
Dr Vivek Mittal, Executive Director, Legal and Corporate Affairs, HUL, said: “We welcome the initiatives by the Department of Consumer Affairs to curb dark patterns in e-commerce and reaffirm our commitment to responsible business practices and consumer protection. Consumer trust lies at the core of HUL’s philosophy. By investing in capability-building and aligning with regulatory expectations, we aim to set industry benchmarks in ethical design and consumer-centric practices.”
