Key points.
Visual quality can support perceived credibility; claims still need evidence.
Authorship, source links and review dates help readers assess a publication.
Maintaining accurate information requires clear editorial ownership.
An organisational website presents an account of what the organisation does and why its information should be trusted. The design can help a reader find that account, but the account itself needs to withstand examination.
Presentation and substantiation
Nielsen Norman Group's credibility research identifies visual quality, disclosure, current content and external connections as relevant to perceived trust. These are signals a reader uses to assess a site, rather than verification that its statements are correct. [1]
A credible website therefore needs both a coherent presentation and a clear basis for its claims. Research should identify its source. Commentary should identify its author. A description of a capability should specify its scope without implying experience or results that have not been established.
The information that should be maintained
Publication dates, review dates, company information and contact details help a reader understand the status of a page. They need an owner and a review process. A polished page with outdated information creates a different impression from a maintained publication.
Accessibility and navigation also affect whether the information can be used. Important qualifications should appear where the claim is made, rather than requiring a reader to search for them elsewhere.
Tiph's assessment
A review of digital credibility should examine the claims on a site, the evidence available for them and the responsibilities for maintaining them. Visual design is part of that assessment. So are editorial standards, source links and the treatment of uncertainty.
The objective is a publication that a reader can understand and check, with an accurate account of the organisation behind it.
Published evidence. Scope and limitations.
- [1]Nielsen Norman Group / 2016Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors
The research identifies design quality, disclosure, current content and external connections as factors in perceived website credibility.
ScopeEvidence about user perception. A convincing website does not, by itself, verify the claims an organisation makes.
Analysis of digital strategy, service design and applied AI.
Further analysis
