10 Powerful Ways You Can Earn Credibility through Design

How would you describe your brand or app? Reliable? Trustworthy? Reputed? All companies – big or small, new or old – want to be known for being all of those things. But, the reality is that you cannot promote yourself with an ad that says “I’m reliable” or “I’m trustworthy”. So, how do you make your users articulate those qualities from the first impression and how do you establish credibility? Design!

According to Stanford’s study on Web Credibility Research, it was uncovered that 75% of users make judgments about a brand/app/company based on its design.

10 Tips to earn credibility through design:

1. Attractive appearance 

Start with making a good first impression and for that, the design of your app or website has to be on point so as to convert visitors to customers. Whether you like it or not, everyone judges a book by the cover; and Nielson Norman describes this phenomenon as the aesthetic-usability effect.

In general, beautiful things are perceived by the human brain as more valuable compared to things that are less attractive in the way they look.

Keeping the appearance factor in mind, our UX designers have designed the Quinn Ride. The visuals that we have used, along with the content helps to convey the message that this brand is reliable and can be trusted.

2. Transparency is key

Users want to know what they can expect from you. They don’t want any hidden surprises. By being transparent about your offerings, team, pricing, and other factors, you can earn their trust.

Don’t make it challenging for your users to find information as they lack patience. If you try to mislead them or spring nasty surprises on them, they will go to your competitors.

One of the best ways to show your users that you’ve nothing to hide is to add a dedicated testimonial section to your design project.

3. Place customer needs in the heart of the design 

The needs of your customers should be the foundation of your brand or the heart of the design. Everything should revolve around them.

You must start your design project by mapping out the customer’s journey. Also, make provisions to celebrate their accomplishments. Celebratory acknowledgments can be as simple as a high-five pop-up as done by MailChimp when their users send their email campaigns.

4. Zero use of false buttons 

Buttons are not designed in an app or website because they look cool. Their purpose is to help users navigate easily and find what they’re looking for.

False buttons waste users’ time as they go on clicking on them in vain. This mistrust easily spreads to the entire design and makes users think twice before clicking on any other design element.

So, remember not to outline any phrases or words if users cannot click on them.

5. Navigation should be simple and easy-to-understand 

If users cannot find what they need within a few seconds, they will reject your application. So, don’t try to be overly creative or complicated when it comes to navigation. Be clear, simple, and comprehensible. This is especially essential while crafting a mobile app. Users should be able to take the necessary actions without facing any hindrance.

For instance, you can look at Viola. The navigation bar clearly mentions all the services and users can simply click on what they need.

6. Upfront disclosure 

Would you trust someone who is hiding something? Similarly, people using your app/website would not appreciate it if you’re withholding crucial information related to customer experience. Depending on your offerings, this would include displaying information like your phone number, address, stating any additional fees or charges, revealing all the taxes before proceeding to the bill, and much more. 

When you omit basic information and refuse to be upfront, you lose the trust of your potential customers.

7. Use authentic videos and images 

High-quality images and videos are great for grabbing the attention of your users. However, for the sake of making an impression, don’t end up using pictures or videos that are not genuine. Not only will you run into copyright issues, but also lose credibility in the eyes of your customers.

For instance, imagine that you’re the owner of a small café and you’ve designed a food ordering app. You’ve used lots of images of food and beverages that look yummilicious, but they’re nothing close to what your food actually looks like. When your customers receive their order and compare it with the images on the app, they’ll be disappointed and stop ordering from your café.

8. Highlight professional certifications or partnerships

One great way to build your reputation is by showcasing the professional partnerships or certifications that you have. These can be featured on the about us section or the homepage. They will validate your expertise and boost your credibility.

It is alright to boast sometimes if you deserve it and it fetches you the desired results!

9. Include testimonials 

According to the Search Engine Journal, 91% of young consumers trust testimonials. This only means one thing – your design must have a review section. By prominently featuring testimonials of past customers and encouraging new customers to share their experience, you’ll be able to quickly gain the trust of your target audience.

Most eCommerce platforms allow reviews from their customers. They even allow customers to upload pictures earning some extra credibility points.

10. Ensure functionality is top-notch

There is no room for errors when you’re trying to win your users’ trust and create a name for yourself in the already-saturated market. Functionality is one such area that you must examine and make sure that it meets the highest standards of quality.

By functionality, we are referring to all the interactive buttons like the clickable features and functions. Also, subtle aspects like, gesture controls and hover-triggered animations. Make sure that they all work perfectly.

To sum up, the tactics mentioned are some of the most tried and tested practices that can help you distinguish your brand or UX UI design project through honesty.

If you need the assistance of professional UX designers to achieve credibility through UX UI design, you can contact Divami. Peruse our portfolio to get an idea of what we do and how we can help you!