When asked what you value most, companies usually point out trust. After all, we want to be credible and reliable in what we do – whether it’s about our employees, vendors, or product. But trust isn’t a thing in and of itself; rather, it’s an outcome driven by many factors that lead to building trust. And just like that, there are design principles we may use in the product design process to help with that. That’s why in this article, you’ll learn:

  • what it means to build trust in the design of your product,
  • how to take advantage of designing for trust,
  • and 7 product design best practices.

Why is it so important to build trust in design?

Designing for trust is a concept that has been discussed in user experience design. What this means is that it’s essential to make a good first impression. Your potential clients have many options to consider in today’s consumer-driven and competitive industry. The goal is to provide such a customer experience that the target audience will choose to work with you.

By that, we want to make sure that every aspect of the customer’s journey with us is high-quality because that’s what will make them more willing to invest and choose us over the competition. In other words, building trust with clients is essential if you want to keep them as satisfied customers. All of this goes into the whole user experience, which means your users:

  • will be able to follow the journey and its outcomes with ease,
  • are not going to be misled to do something they don’t want,
  • will have a good overall image of your product or service that they might want to interact with it again,
  • will provide their permission for any kind of data collection.
post testimonial icon quote

Satisfied customers aren’t just your loyal clients but also clients who will enthusiastically spread the word about your product or service.

post testimonial author

Natalia Kamecka

Head of Marketing

How do you maximize design for trust?

Judging a book by its cover is a profoundly human trait, despite its negative connotations. There’s no point in fighting it. It’s just as important in the physical world as it’s online. Your digital product has a few seconds to make a good impression. So how to make it right when there are so many variables out there?

Introduce yourself in a way that’s not questionable

Clients appreciate it when you don’t keep them in the dark about your business, so it’s a good idea to be up-front – from the people who work for you to the values that guide your company and the prices you charge. As customers have a relatively short attention span, don’t overcomplicate to find what they’re looking for.

We can call it simply being transparent. It’s a good idea to show the idea of your company, your associates, and the people who work on it because it simply increases authenticity. This will help the visitor see them as accurate, which in turn will increase the desire to make contact. Videos that introduce the company and its services are a suitable format for these kinds of communication. They provide the client with an opportunity to explore credibility. 

The user also will be more comfortable purchasing from your organization if they are given access to contact information and a physical location. Make it easy for your customers to do business how they like and when they want to.

Make it clear that you care about the user

The ground zero for developing a trustworthy design is making your customers feel appreciated. You must give people autonomy by prioritizing their requirements and enabling positive interaction. It’s not enough to offer outstanding customer service through several channels; you also need to make sure that help is clear for site visitors to find.

Dedication makes the customer the central focus of your business strategy. Putting the requirements of your customers before those of your company is at the heart of customer centricity. It’s more important to focus on creating a solution that meets their specific needs and adds value for them.

They should be able to quickly and easily find essential information. It’s highly recommended that your website feature some easily accessible knowledge base or resource area. In the same vein, you can enhance your product’s design to encourage users and consumers to dive deeply into the product’s many aspects. Make it easy for visitors to locate your articles, tutorials, and explainer videos.

Emphasize safety measures

Nowadays, users are much more hesitant to give out their personal information. And they are less likely to make purchases or provide financial information if they don’t believe a website is trustworthy, so make sure it seems professional and legitimate

If you’ve taken the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of your website and/or mobile app, you should highlight these features to win visitors’ trust. The privacy policy should be prominently displayed and easy to comprehend. Moreover, some security seals can serve as a stamp of approval. It’s an excellent way to reassure customers that their data is safe with you and your product.

Stay away from dark patterns

Some websites and apps use deceptive design patterns (also called “dark patterns”) to fool you into taking an action you didn’t intend. An example could be making a purchase or signing up for a service unintentionally. The dark pattern could be putting something extra in a customer’s shopping cart or making it inconvenient to cancel a service.

When interacting with digital content, users typically only skim the text and draw their conclusions. Because of this, companies who wish to deceive you into doing something might create deceptive web pages that appear to say one thing but say something another. In the short run, these methods could bring in more money and clicks for a business. But it doesn’t pay off in the long run.

post testimonial icon quote

If building trust is one of the product’s primary objectives, dark patterns should be avoided.

post testimonial author

Julia Komin

UX / UI Designer

Adopt established design principles

There’s a common set of design principles that may be applied to any industry or platform. And they’re around for a reason: their users know and trust them. Users are more likely to trust a system if they can immediately begin using it without needing to be taught how to do so and if they see that they are in charge of their own experience and activities. This is the power of user-centered design.

Also, the effects of color on our moods and tendencies are substantial. The brain receives information from the visual system when we see a color, and transmits signals to regulate our body’s response to the color. Users’ trust can be gained, and the interface can become more user-friendly with the help of carefully chosen color palettes.

Take care of consistency and integrity in the design

Consistency in design is a critical factor in gaining users’ confidence. Simply put, it gives people confidence that they are actually dealing with the website they thought they were. Maintaining a uniform aesthetic conveys the impression that your business is well-run and its employees and processes are reliable.

These days, more and more businesses offer design libraries and systems that determine everything from the color scheme to the height of icons to the voice and tone of the written content. However, a logo or set of colors isn’t the only thing that needs consistency. It encompasses the whole thing, including the navigation a user experiences when using the website or app. Designers of user interfaces and user experiences (UX and UI) should take the full customer experience (CX) into account.

Show your best side

The best marketing for a brand is the positive word-of-mouth it has received from its satisfied customers. Naturally, the most trustworthy ones will be those backed up by relevant examples (like case studies). Such expressions of thankfulness should be displayed on the website because they attest to our professionalism and the fact that we always deliver on our promises. Displaying the many awards and honors that your organization has received is also crucial.

The same holds for awards for being a leader in the industry, a trusted brand, an inclusive-friendly company, or any other category. Having links to the business partners on the site also shows the visitor that companies have already invested in your brand.

Contact

Do you want to find out more about product design process?

Talk to us!

Design trust as your key message

Making a brand seem reliable is dependent mainly on how it is designed. In addition to being more valuable and user-friendly, an attractive product or website also increases brand recognition. It helps you exhibit the human aspect of your company and interact with your ideal customers on a more personal level. This will lead to increased sales and happier customers in the long run. If you want to develop an app or website that’s appealing and memorable, keeping up with dominant trends will help you.