From Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do
The Importance of Web Credibility
While many factors contribute to a Web site s power to influence, one key factor is credibility. Without credibility, sites are not likely to persuade users to change their attitudes or behaviors to embrace the site s cause, register personal information, make purchases, click on ads, complete surveys, or bookmark the site for return visits. For this reason, it s important to understand and design for Web credibility.
What makes a Web site credible? What elements cause people to believe what they find on the site? Web credibility what it is, how it is won, and how to understand it better is the focus of this chapter.
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Variability of Web Credibility The Web can be a highly credible source of information, depending on the person or organization behind a given Web site (the site operator ). The Web also can be one...
Overview Are computers credible? That s a question I like to ask students in my Stanford classes. It invariably generates a lively debate. There s no easy answer, but the question is an...
The Four Types of Web Credibility The four types of computer credibility described in Chapter 6 presumed, reputed, surface, and earned also apply to users experiences on the Web. Table 7.6 reviews...
Two Sides of Web Credibility Web credibility has two sides, one that relates mostly to Web surfers and one that relates to Web designers (Figure 7.1). On the one side, credibility is important to...
The Web Credibility Grid The Web Credibility Framework can be extended to another level when it is combined with the four types of credibility described in Chapter 6 presumed, reputed, surface,...
