How Sludges are Harming Vulnerable People
Isobel Madle | February 4, 2025 | 5 mins
Ever tried to cancel a subscription and had to go through an extensive process to do so? Over half of consumers decide against signing up to subscription over the worries of how difficult it would be to cancel.
In today’s online world, we’ve all experienced moments of frustration when trying to navigate a website or complete an online transaction, be it hidden fees, a complex cancellation process or confusing consent functions, but for vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, those with limited digital literacy or people experiencing financial or mental health struggles, these seemingly small annoyances can have much larger consequences. So what is sludge and how can we be mindful of vulnerable people?
What is a Sludge?
A ‘sludge’ or ‘sludging’ refers to unnecessary frictions or obstacles that can make processes harder than they need to be. Sometimes this can be as innocent as poor UX design choices, but it can be intentional to push the user towards certain actions that benefit the company, like discouraging the cancelling of a subscription.
At best these friction points are mildly irritating, at their worst they can really negatively impact the consumer, especially in sectors like energy and finances, where people depend on these essential services.
How Sludging Affects Vulnerable Individuals
While sludging can impact everyone to some degree, it’s vulnerable people who are especially at risk. Those who are less familiar with technology, like the elderly or those with cognitive impairments, may struggle to identify these hidden traps. Similarly, individuals facing financial strain or mental health challenges may not have the cognitive resources to thoroughly read fine print or navigate complicated processes. Sludging can impact vulnerable individuals in different ways:
Cognitive overload - Vulnerable users may find it difficult to process a complex online form or transaction, leading to confusion and mistakes.
Exploiting trust - People who lack digital literacy might trust the process and not question hidden terms or unclear pricing, making them more susceptible to manipulation.
Financial harm - Unclear or deceptive pricing structures can lead to unexpected costs, creating a financial burden that vulnerable individuals can’t afford to bear.
Increased stress - Frustration with navigating difficult processes can lead to emotional distress and anxiety, worsening the overall experience.
The Sunday Times has an extremely complicated subscription and cancellation policy. They offer a 1-month free trial for their services. However, in the small print, they explain the cancellation policy:
‘You must cancel within the first 7 days of your start date. You may cancel before the end of your trial period, if you cancel at least 15 days before the end of the trial. But you will only receive a refund if you cancel within the first 7 days.’
With a generation and world now carrying out everyday tasks online, the harm caused by sludging extends far beyond the financial aspects. It negatively impacts an individual’s mental and emotional well-being through:
Stress and anxiety - The frustration of not being able to easily cancel a service or facing unexpected charges can cause significant emotional strain.
Loss of trust - Repeated exposure to manipulative digital tactics can erode a person’s trust in online platforms, making them more wary and less confident in future online transactions.
For vulnerable individuals, this cumulative stress can have long-term effects, further deepening feelings of powerlessness or helplessness in navigating digital spaces.
Tackling Sludging Through Behavioural Science
Behavioural science has an important role to play in addressing the issue of sludging. By understanding human behaviour and designing digital experiences with the user in mind, we can create more ethical and transparent systems that protect vulnerable consumers. Here are some ways companies can implement behavioural design to reduce sludging:
Simplify processes: Clear, simple forms, straightforward language, and intuitive navigation can help reduce cognitive overload and ensure users aren’t tripped up by unnecessary complexity.
Nudge for good: Instead of using manipulative tactics, companies can use nudges. For example, offering easy-to-understand pricing options or displaying clear benefits for users who choose a particular option.
“The opposite to a sludge, a Nudge is a small, ethical design choice that guides users toward better decisions.”
Clear and Ethical Consent: Consent mechanisms should be simple and transparent, so that users can easily understand what they’re agreeing to, with the option to opt out at any time.
By putting people’s needs first and using behavioural science to inform ethical design, we can help ensure that no one is taken advantage of in the digital space, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Key Takeaways
Sludging defined: Sludging refers to the intentional creation of friction in digital processes to manipulate consumers, often leading to decisions that benefit the company but harm the user. This includes tactics like hidden fees, complex cancellation processes, and misleading pricing.
Vulnerable consumers are most affected: Vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, those with limited digital literacy, or those facing financial or mental health challenges, are more susceptible to sludging tactics, which can cause financial distress, confusion, and emotional strain.
Financial and emotional harm: Sludging in sectors like energy can lead to hidden charges, complicated tariffs, and difficult cancellations, which exacerbate financial struggles and increase stress and anxiety for vulnerable customers.
Behavioural science can help: By applying behavioural science principles, companies can design clearer, more accessible digital experiences that guide consumers towards better choices and reduce cognitive overload. This can include simplifying communication, offering clear consent mechanisms, and nudging users towards ethical, beneficial decisions.
Call for ethical digital design: Energy companies, and other sectors, should prioritise transparency, fairness, and accessibility in their digital processes to prevent exploitation of vulnerable customers, ultimately fostering trust and loyalty.
Actionable solutions: To reduce sludging, companies should think about simplifying pricing and terms, improving accessibility to customer support, making cancellation and switching easy, and using ethical nudges to encourage better decision-making.
By addressing sludging, companies can protect vulnerable consumers, improve wellbeing, and enhance their own reputation and avoid benefiting through immoral processes.
If you’d like to understand more about behavioural science including nudges and sludges, you can book a meeting with our behavioural team, we’d love to hear from you!
The next instalment of our Vulnerability Series will explore how the energy sector can build and maintain trust while safeguarding its vulnerable customer base.