If you only had 5 seconds to see a website's homepage, do you feel you could judge whether the site was trustworthy?
I have recently been participating on https://usabilityhub.com/ as a random tester and have frequently been asked "Is this site trustworthy?" after viewing it for only 5 seconds. How would you determine trustworthiness of a site?
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Apr 25, 2014
There is absolutely no way to determine if a web is trustworthy. I may be slightly parinoid but just because you see something on the internet is like seeing is believing and even that is a joke (ie slight of hand).
A BBB Icon and a SSL Icon can be placed on a site to make ti look secure when not. Pushing on charity and religion makes a site less trustworthy in my opinion.
Being clean and conforting (color and presentation) when done by fraudsters is done all the time. I wouldn't beleive in a site in 5 minutes let alone 5 seconds.
Apr 25, 2014
I believe you tell a lot about the quality of a company in five seconds but not whether they are trustworthy. As you go through the site a bit further you can possibly tell then. Research the company outside of their website. see what people are saying on Yelp, D&B The BBB.
Apr 25, 2014
There are certain things that should be prominently displayed on a website that would allow you to make this determination in 5 seconds. Take a look at www.1stSeniorCare.com
Notice on the right hand side of the page there is an icon for comodo. This icon tells you that this site is regularly tested for compliance and fraud protection. Also notice the level of encryption. Also notice the Trustweave icon which states this is a trusted site. Also when trying to purchase something make sure that a lock is displayed also indicating that the information you are about to give is secure.
Apr 25, 2014
I think the test to see if you feel it is trustworthy if the first 5 seconds speaks to the Brand, the Design, and even just the over all feel of the website. This question helps Web Designers to make people feel more comfortable and more secure.
American Express changed their Green Card to a Blue and Silver card. After they spend 250k the study showed more people feel secure with the colors Blue and Silver then Green. This is why a lot of banks use the color blue.
My 2 Cents. So yes you can judge in the first 5 seconds... in the real life you will continue to judge even after that. However if you loose a customer in the first 5 seconds then it is very hard to get them back...
Example: have you ever felt like a site was NOT trustworthy in the first 5 seconds and later decided it was trustworthy ... I would guess that 90% or more of the time the answer is NO.
Apr 24, 2014
I don't trust websites, I trust companies and brands. If the question is, "do I trust a new brand I was just introduced to in 5 seconds?", the answer is absolutely not. If it's my first time at a website of a brand I know and respect, I trust it immediately. It takes most people a minimum of 8 independent exposures to a new brand before the first stage of "trust" is established. And real trust is only established after a positive experience post-purchase. That said, if what they are selling costs $5, they don't need to earn the same trust as a company selling a product that costs $1,000.
Apr 24, 2014
Most people make this call within 5 secs anyway, studies have shown so I think it's not only possible but happens all the time. Like you make your first judgement of a person within the same time. Just what makes it register as trustworthy however is probably if it ticks the boxes of what we feel stands for trust. Official badges, sincere mug shots, testimonials, etc proof basically. Professional up to date design is critical too. Every institution will need different things though. A picture of Mickey Mouse won't inspire trust for a financial institution, but might for a child care facility. You know what I mean. Know your target audience and what presses their trust buttons. But yeah 5 secs is what you get. The reason is you might get a bit longer if you keep them for 5 secs but the downside is that you can lose all trust in 1 second, so that sets the limit if you know what I mean.
Apr 24, 2014
Hi Paul.
People will make an immediate decision based on a site's first impression but building trust takes time. You can have a clean site with clear communication, easy navigation and contact info very visible which will help build a foundation of trust but it is impossible to say after just 5 seconds that a site is trustworthy. If there is e-commerce and they show they are secure for transactions that can help too.
Good luck,
Paige
Apr 24, 2014
Don't go by the looks. I can show you some truly fake twitter site, which will let you login and capture your personal information and you won't get a hint.
If you are looking for trustworthy site, no 'love at first site... oops... sight'... :)
Apr 24, 2014
First of all it all depends if you have prior information pertaining to the matters of the website. For example, if you received a spam link of so called United Nations website or email address, for you to judge the domain name or website address within next 5 seconds after coming across such website or email address is to be knowing the valid domain name and to know the look and feel of the valid website of United Nations. Another example is, if you were already been performing online banking transactions and you have been informed of phishing emails before hand, I am sure within the 5 seconds you will disregard the so called email from the bank, and take precautions such as blocking the email domain and marking it as spam. Hope this helps.
Apr 24, 2014
Using some practical advice and marketing theory five seconds isn't long enough. You need to be fair. It's about AIDA or Awareness>Interest>Desire > Action. While you can get an impression or read a few words of copy and see some graphics you need to be fair to evaluate. Plus I'd look at some targeting of "People" data in the Nine P's of Marketing. If you are not interested in the product or service evaluating "trust" or "trustworthiness" may not be relevant to you but the others who may be specific consumers or potential shoppers. All the best.
On a serious note... a good look at the URL itself will give you fair amount of credibility about the site... Provided you can quickly differentiate between good and bad domain names...