Background
One month ago Springest teamed up with Usabilla.com to investigate the trust perception of Learning & Development provider websites.
The test was dispersed through social media networks gathering 33 responses.
The motivation for this investigation was to optimise the overall perception of L&D provider websites trustworthiness in order to increase website activity and visitor satisfaction.
Participants were asked to click on the items which influence their trust perception and underpin this with comments.
The screen shots display the example websites of L&D providers we cooperated with and the heatmap indicates what participants clicked on.
The results of the test indicate that perceiving a website as trustworthy is mainly influenced by two different factors, i.e. the use of visual elements and the actual content itself.
Visual influences on trust perception
The majority of test participants expressed to find a classic and professional logo very important.
Even more important than the logo seems to be the choice of pictures.
Participants stated that pictures need to match the message and should seem real.
The website using an own picture was commented as:
“Looks like it’s a picture from campus, not just generic..it gives the idea of truthfulness and trust”.
Another website was perceived rather negatively because of the main picture chosen.
“I don’t find anything to help me trust this page. Especially this model’s smile doesn’t help”
Trustworthy content
Aspects of the content which seem to have the biggest influence on trust perception were:
- Testimonials
- Accreditations
- Most popular courses
- Up-to-date agenda and news
- Easy to find contact details
It is self-explanatory that testimonials and accreditations positively influence trust perception if provided by respected and known external parties.
Displaying ‘most popular courses’ was perceived as a positive mean to communicate that there is demand for courses, reassuring participants of the popularity of the provider and thus trusting the website.
Another important aspect of a website’s content is the up-to-dateness of the agenda and news, it appears to create the impression that someone is taking care of the site.
“Latest news is a great way to keep fresh new content going.”
Even though all before mentioned aspects appear to be important, the most crucial aspect seems to be the contact details displayed on the website.
Participants stated that contact details need to be easy to find, especially a phone number for establishing direct contact and “speaking to a real person”.
The results indicated that contact details should never be hidden or difficult to find as it most probably creates mistrust among visitors.
“..easy to find contact information, digging around for it makes me wonder why it’s hidden.”
Recommendations
Summing up the comments, reactions and click responses of the test participants, the following recommendations can be formulated for improving the trustworthiness of Learning & Development provider websites:
- Give good thought to your logo and how it will be perceived by your targeted visitors.
- Use real pictures, representing your business and matching the message of your website.
- Display partner and customer testimonials to demonstrate how satisfied others are with your business.
- Show by which organisations you have been accredited. It assures visitors of your quality standards.
- Provide a top 3 of the most popular courses.
- Keep your agenda and news up-to-date.
- Do not hide your contact details, it creates mistrust. Be transparent and make them easily accessible to visitors.
These recommendations might seem simple and the necessity of their implementation self-evident. Nevertheless the test results demonstrate, the devil is in the details and all of these recommendations are important for creating a trustworthy website.