Visual Hierarchy in Cookie Consent : Dark Patterns on Swedish News Websites

Sammanfattning

This study examines visual hierarchy in cookie consent banners on Swedish news websites, focusing on how consent choices are visually emphasized or de-emphasizedthrough design attributes such as size/visual weight, color and contrast, placement and ordering, text emphasis, and interaction cost. The study used a two-phase qualitative design: (1) a systematic interface analysis of first-visit consent banners to document recurring hierarchy patterns, and (2) semi-structured interviews with Swedish newsreaders to explore how users perceive the role of visual hierarchy in their cookie consent decision-making. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study contributes to research on dark patterns and consent UX by exploring visual hierarchy as an observable interface mechanism and by examining users’interpretations of consent interfaces in a real-world context.