More than 40 percent of consumers in Japan have fallen prey to deceptive web or app designs known as “dark patterns” that trick them into making choices they would not have otherwise made, according to a recent survey by a Japanese web design company. The online survey, taken in August with 799 respondents between the ages of 18 and 69, found 46.1 percent of respondents had been swindled by dark patterns, while 68.8 percent said they had seen such designs, Concent Inc. said in late November. Examples include unintentionally signing up to subscription-based purchases or feeling inclined to purc…