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Marketing Academy · Field Work●Human Psychology
All projects·From: Behavioral Economics for Marketers
CoreTeardown· 40 minutes

Nudge or Sludge? Tearing Down a Resale Subscription's Signup and Cancellation Flow

ThredUp

Objective: Given two synthetic-but-realistic screens from a resale subscription's signup and cancellation flow, separate legitimate choice-architecture nudges from dark-pattern sludge, and correctly reject two plausible-looking distractors.

ThredUp's resale subscription is under a UX audit ahead of a compliance review triggered by the FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule. You've been handed two flow screens (recreated from common patterns seen across resale/subscription apps) to grade.

For each screen, list every real defect with severity, then explain why the listed distractors are NOT actually violations.

Before you start

What you'll need

Free path (everything below is enough to finish)

Google Sheets
FreeLog each defect with severity and lesson reference

Free, sufficient for a structured defect log

The process

Specimens to review

List every real defect in this signup screen with severity, then explain why the two listed distractors are not actually violations.

Sample output
SIGNUP SCREEN

Plan: Clean Out Unlimited - $29.99/mo
[Struck-through: 'Regular price $49.99/mo'] You save 40%!

[x] Auto-renew monthly (pre-checked, no visible way to uncheck without scrolling)
[x] Email me styling tips (pre-checked)

'Only 3 spots left in your area this month!' - resets to '3 spots left' again if you reload the page

[CONTINUE TO PAYMENT]

Specimen: synthetic, realistic

List every real defect in this cancellation flow with severity, then explain why the listed distractor is not actually a violation.

Sample output
CANCELLATION FLOW

Step 1: 'Wait! Here's 50% off your next 3 months' [Keep My Plan] [No thanks, I hate saving money ->]

Step 2: 'To cancel, please call our Member Success line at 1-800-555-0199, available Mon-Fri 9am-5pm ET. Online cancellation is not available for Unlimited plans.'

[BACK TO ACCOUNT]

Specimen: synthetic, realistic

Final deliverable

A defect log for both screens with severity ratings and a one-line justification for each rejected distractor.

See a reference example
Sample output
Rent the Runway cancellation flow, defect log (excerpt)

Defect: Cancel button only reachable after a 3-screen retention gauntlet with no direct link
Severity: critical
Why it matters: Extra required screens with no skip option is a roach-motel variant even without confirmshaming copy.

Rejected distractor: The final retention offer (10% off) - legitimate, honored discount, not sludge on its own.

Success criteria

You're done when you can:

  • Identifies at least 4 of the 5 real defects across both items with correct severity
  • Correctly rejects both distractors with a stated reason, not just a guess
  • Cites the specific lesson section for each defect's lessonRef