Nextdoor's Heisensubscribe
(And Other Dark Patterns)

<h1>Nextdoor's Heisensubscribe<br/>(And Other Dark Patterns)</h1>

TL;DR: Nextdoor's notification settings are hostile. This is not an isolated incident.

- ["See What You Missed"](#show)
- [Email Frequency](#frequency)
- [Heisensubscribe](#heisensubscribe)
- ["Just One Setting"](#one-setting)
- [Kicking and Screaming](#kas)

## "See What You Missed" {show}

![](/nextdoor-1.png)

Send emails that demonstrate immediate and obvious value.

My email client renders HTML and CSS -- show me what I missed.

Of course it's easier to send a static link to a notification page.
Rendering dynamic emails is non-trivial.

But as it stands, this email reeks of "FOMO" and "driving engagement".

Don't sully your brand for cheap clicks.

## Email Frequency {frequency}

![](/nextdoor-2.png)

Monthly emails can be overlooked, but weekly emails can overwhelm.

If you're going to blast weekly emails, please offer a monthly setting.

Furthermore, throw a "send this email monthly instead" link in the footer.
Put [affordances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance) in context.

## Heisensubscribe {heisensubscribe}

![](/nextdoor-3.png)

Did I unsubscribe?

Unlabeled switches obfuscate intent:
- "yes, you will recieve more of these emails"
- "yes, you unsubscribed"

Don't put any controls on unsubscribe pages.
Visually communicate to me that there is no remaining work for me to do.
Simply say "unsubscribe successful" and add a link to my notification settings.

## "Just One Setting" {one-setting}

![](/nextdoor-7.png)

Wait a second.

If this setting is called "Missed notifications", does that imply others exist?

I'm suspicious of you, nextdoor.
You know that I probably want to unsubscribe from everything, but you're being a sore loser.
Add an extra link that says "unsubscribe from everything".

## Kicking and Screaming {kas}

![](/nextdoor-4.png)

![](/nextdoor-5.png)

Yes, there are 16 **pages** of notification settings.

There are no "disable all" buttons.
In order to unsubscribe from everything, nextdoor demands hundreds of clicks.

Shame on you, nextdoor.