Design Transparency Labels: Fostering User Trust and Well-Being Through Design Transparency

Over the past decade, there has been growing recognition of unethical design practices aimed at deceiving users or persuading them beyond their original intentions. Businesses employ these techniques to compete within the advertising-based attention economy, whereas users often bear the cost in the form of reduced control over their attention and increased time spent online. To ease this tension between business incentives and user well-being, we propose the concept of Design Transparency Labels (DTLs). DTLs are in-app, contextual interface notices that make persuasive design features visible, explain how specific design choices may affect users' digital well-being, and offer mechanisms to regain control. We argue that DTLs can simultaneously promote more mindful and intentional technology use, while also helping service providers align with existing regulatory requirements and build trust capital that may foster user satisfaction and long-term retention.