How to you design "trust" into your website/app?

Question

Do you have some best practices for building trust into a website.  For example, some design decisions that can create a better environment for users to add their personal data, financial information, etc?  I have seen a few that make sense (transparency is probably the most powerful I have seen).

Demi Yang · Accepted Answer

Gathering and sharing non-generic testimonials would help. By non-generic, I mean ones that go like "X product saved me Y hours each time I had to do Z" instead of "Best website for XYZ!".

Ankit Chhabra · Answer

@robert_thelen nope, just the lock icon besides the url suffice else it shows "not secure". Having site secured using ssl also benefits in google serp.

Hussein Yahfoufi · Answer

An about page is critical and also if you can add trust badges (but make sure they are real)

Alejandro Cantarero · Answer

For building trust about what data you collect on your users/customers, having a section of your website or your documentation that specifically lists out what you collect (and via which SaaS tools) and why can be very helpful.

Sometimes this may just be part of your Privacy Policy, but there is often a lot of legal language there that can be hard to read.

Also explicitly listing out your data processors on a page on your website is another way to show your users everything that may be going on.

Robert Thelen · Answer

@demi_yang Great idea Demi!

Robert Thelen · Answer

@akadavid When are you launching?  Would love to take your platform for a spin (and open invitation to try ours)

Robert Thelen · Answer

@robert_thelen @akadavid Very cool.  We are working on similar projects: www.rownd.io;  Solid is pretty cool tech, but the scalability has been an issue for us.  Until it grows to a cloud / edge capability, we are taking our own approach.  Love the direction of AKA!  Rising tide lifts all boats!

David Flynn · Answer

I think that the future of trust on the internet is depends on the individual owning and controlling their own data. It's a challenge because data is so important when it comes to  providing a good experience, but I think people are looking for other options thanks to shows like "The Social Dilemma".

Robert Thelen · Answer

@shrutika22lodhi makes sense.  SSL is so critical.  Do you think calling attention to it on the website is worthwhile for the non-technical or does the lock in the URL do enough for the average consumer?

Robert Thelen · Answer

@alejandro_cantarero1 Having a simple privacy policy is a great idea.

Robert Thelen · Answer

@akadavid Owning data is SOOO critical.  That is actually what I am working on, making it easy for businesses and apps to deploy data ownership. What is the best way to show a website is using data ownership tools?

David Flynn · Answer

@akadavid @robert_thelen we’re hoping to do some early testing in the next few weeks. ROWND looks really cool. How are you all managing the data?

Ankit Chhabra · Answer

The first and foremost thing IMO is to secure the site using SSL. If you are a service-based company, then for sure non-generic text testimonials plus video testimonials are a must-do.

David Flynn · Answer

@robert_thelen I think that offering a “sign in with Solid” option (or requirement) will eventually be a badge of honor for web platforms. That’s what I want to build. I’d like to learn more about what you’re doing.

Eventually, users will demand that platforms only connect to their data pods instead of consolidate the data on their own. I think this evolution just needs a little push. We have all the tools - now it’s time to bring them together and change the internet!

Nikita Kanade · Answer

This is an awesome challenge to tackle head on. And if you can hit the bulls eye with trust then it will have give you massive returns almost forever. This is how we do it. You can run a design sprint - a step by step recipe to go from idea to user tested and validated prototype in just 4 days without writing a single line of code. We at Viniage design have been using this process to help startups kickstart on their ideas to gain the necessary momentum to validate and launch new products. To know more write to me at nikita@viniagedesign.com

How to you design "trust" into your website/app?

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