C+rl+Al+
Deceptive Design

What is The Decoy Effect?

Companies add a deliberately poor-value middle option priced close to the premium tier. Compared against the decoy, the premium tier looks like a bargain.

Where it comes from

Huber, Payne & Puto (1982)

How it hooks you

Exploits asymmetric dominance: an obviously inferior option shifts your sense of what counts as a reasonable price.

How to resist it

Decide which tier you actually need before looking at the comparison table.

Where you’ll run into it

More deceptive design tactics

Explore all 66 tactics in the app