Video · About 3 minutes

Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors (Video)

Aurora Harley · Nielsen Norman Group Free Beginner

Most branding advice is one designer's taste, this is the opposite: a short, research-backed walkthrough from Nielsen Norman Group of what actually makes visitors decide a site is credible enough to stay on. It gives you four concrete levers (design quality, upfront disclosure, current and complete content, and being connected to the rest of the web via reviews and social proof) that map straight onto why an early startup site reads as trustworthy or not. At roughly three minutes it is a fast starting point before you audit your own homepage.

• Users judge trust in seconds, and the four factors that move it are design quality, upfront disclosure of costs and contact info, comprehensive current content, and links out to third-party proof.
• People trust outside sources (reviews, press, social presence) more than anything you say about yourself, so being connected to the rest of the web matters.
• These credibility signals have stayed stable for decades even as design trends changed, so they are a safe foundation to build on.