Did you know there are approximately 4.8 billion internet users around the world? According to datareport.com’s July 2021 report, there are at least 700,000 new internet users every day.

This ever increasing number of internet users leads to plenty of opportunities for businesses to promote their brand globally. However, this global audience is becoming more online-savvy and increasingly cynical.

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a huge rise in online activity. But even before 2020, many people had started to use the internet more – from shopping and banking to entertainment, education and socialising.

Misinformation within blogs, news sources and social media posts has created doubt on the legitimacy of digital resources, making it difficult for trustworthy companies to make themselves heard.

To build trust and succeed in the new age of digital commerce, brands must be transparent and open with their customers. UX design plays a key part, as a user-focused customer journey is the first step towards building trust.

Using UX to Create Brand Credibility

As technology becomes smarter and options for consumers grow, brands must focus on creating an intuitive and rewarding user experience. But providing the latest or fastest technology is not enough. Building a positive user experience is about more than speed and aesthetics.

Instead, brands must focus on fully meeting the needs of customers. A solid and accessible support system is fundamental, to ensure customer issues can be resolved quickly. Using visible communication methods helps to build trust between a brand and its customers.

While customer support is vital, so is accessibility for customers with disabilities. Promoting digital equality by enabling your website or app to be used by everybody is essential.

Personalised News Feeds

57% of the global population use social media regularly. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok offer spaces for communication, education and entertainment.

But due to the nature of social media, misinformation and falsehood thrive on these platforms.

That means many users are skeptical about news stories they read on social media, so they move on to other more reliable resources.

A number of UX design features can be used to combat this problem; for example, personalisation of news feeds and the ability to report false, inaccurate or unethical content. Offering the option to flag inappropriate content using ‘mute’, ‘report’ or ‘unfollow’ buttons is a simple yet effective way to help users choose the content they see.

Honest, Transparent Headlines

Many internet users access information and news stories through blogs and online newspapers. Headlines are key to whether people choose to click through to an article. As a result, the internet is flooded with sensationalist and misleading headlines vying for our attention.

If a brand wants to gain trust and credibility, all headlines must be clear, concise and faithful to the actual content. This will help the brand to build a reputation as a reliable source of information. It is true that you will be fighting a battle with the click-bait sensationalist titles, but to follow suit is a race to the bottom – it diminishes your authority in an increasingly savvy user-base.

The Importance of Trust and Transparency in UX Design

There are many ways that UX and UI design help build trust between brands and customers. Some strategies are used routinely by businesses, for example consistent colour schemes and tone of voice. Other methods, such as support systems, accessibility functions and personalisation options are not used as frequently.

While user experience and user interface best practices can help to ensure user trust, they can only do so much. A detailed understanding of user needs and concerns must be sought at the early stages of product development.

Brands must act on trust concerns and address them seriously. It is not enough to simply tackle these issues with surface-level UX design. Using UX and copy methodologies to create an illusion of trust is not enough. The key to resolving trust issues is to be genuinely trustworthy throughout all stages of the product or service development cycle.