The receipts, filed

The Crime Index.

Everyone roasts bad design. We keep the receipts — filed by pattern, so the next time you feel a screen working against you, you can name it. Each case: the crime, the law it breaks, the honest fix, and a round to feel it for yourself. We punch at patterns, never at people.

7 cases · 6 patterns

Data Distortion

1 case

The Truncated Axis ▶ has a round

In the dock: A quarterly slide that needed the number to look big

The crime
Two bars, a 2% gap. By starting the axis at 96 instead of 0, one bar now towers three times over the other. Same data, different lie.

The fix
Bar charts start at zero. If the real difference is too small to see, that's information — switch to a dot or line chart and label the range.

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Theater

1 case

Manufactured Labor ▶ has a round

In the dock: An AI assistant that already has your answer

The crime
It computed the reply instantly, then made you watch a spinner 'think' for a dramatic four seconds so it would feel worth the money.

The fix
Only animate work that's actually happening. Real steps earn trust; a fixed dramatic delay is a costume with a sparkle icon.

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Obstruction

2 cases

Sneaking

1 case

Drip Pricing

In the dock: Every ticketing checkout, somehow, at once

The crime
The price you saw was $40. Between there and the pay button it grew a service fee, a facility fee, and a convenience fee. It is now $67.

The fix
All-in pricing shown up front. The first number is the final number, or you're quoting a price that doesn't exist.

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Confirmshaming

1 case

Confirmshaming

In the dock: A newsletter popup that thinks it knows you

The crime
The decline button reads: "No thanks, I don't want to save money." You just wanted to close the popup.

The fix
The decline says what it does: "No thanks" or "Close." A neutral exit is the entire fix. Guilt is not a button state.

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Fake Urgency

1 case

The Fake Countdown

In the dock: A booking site with a very anxious red timer

The crime
"Offer ends in 4:59… 4:58…" You reload the page. It says 4:59 again.

The fix
Only show a timer for a real deadline. If reloading resets it, or "only 2 left" is always 2, it's not scarcity — it's a lie with a stopwatch.

Read the case