UX design and a websites interface are a key factor for gaining the trust of your audience. Regardless of whether or not people would like to admit it, many make decisions about the truthfulness of the content of a website on appearance alone. Research has show that most viewers have already determined how they feel about the quality and truthfulness of the content for they read a word, just based on their visual impression of the design. The bottom line is that user experience design should be utilized to build trust.
Building trust through design…
Based on my experience as the Digital Strategy lead at DigiMix who’s role encompass everything from UX design to full stack web development, here 10 top tips for building trust through design.
1. Deliver as Promised
Breaking a promise is the easiest way to lose someone’s trust. If you promise something to happen when you interact with an object on the website, and that doesn’t happen, your audience will become suspicious and trust levels will drop. Have you ever click on a button to read an article, then been bombarded with a pop up add instead? This ad hijacking have become a common pattern amongst web publishers desperate to monetise every click. It’s a cause of frustration with end users and is not helping them to build their audiences. So when you promise something is going to happen on your site, make sure you deliver on it.
2. Keep it Consistent
Use a style guide to plan and implement consistent navigation and design elements throughout the sites. For example, color can be used to signify types of content. Call to action buttons should maintain a consistent look and feel when possible ever possible. Different colors can be used on different buttons, when the actions of the buttons full into specific interaction patterns. Documenting a design guide throughout the web design process is a helpful exercise maintaining consistency.
3. Clarity
Everything on your site should be crystal clear. Content should be easy to read and action sequences should be intuitive. If a user has to struggle to read content or is unsure what to do next, the site lacks clarity.
4. Consider the Context
Make your design decisions while considering the specific decision within the larger context of the project. As you plan different interaction points and placement of elements across a page, make sure they are laid out in a succinct fashion inline with the desired process for the site. A common mistake is to implement additional buttons or navigation elements that may make sense for some “what if” scenarios, but actually detract from the primary object of the page.
5. Use your Voice
Design reflecting a brand voice? This sounds a bit abstract right? It is to a certain degree, but its something that should will drive underlying UX design decision making. The brand voice should be considered through out the user experience design, not just in content writing. People inherently trust a confident voice, but that voice has to be your own. Being creative with the site copy and using typography as tool can help you to design your brand voice. Your website should have content your audience will love, but also be designed to reflect how your brand would tell it.
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