How do users evaluate the credibility of Web sites?

TLDR

The study aims to identify which website features users notice when judging credibility, by collecting and analyzing comments, and to provide design implications for HCI professionals. The authors surveyed 2,684 participants who evaluated two live websites, collected their comments, and performed content analysis to identify salient credibility cues. Design look was the most frequently cited cue (46.1 % of comments), followed by information structure and information focus.

Abstract

In this study 2,684 people evaluated the credibility of two live Web sites on a similar topic (such as health sites). We gathered the comments people wrote about each siteís credibility and analyzed the comments to find out what features of a Web site get noticed when people evaluate credibility. We found that the ìdesign lookî of the site was mentioned most frequently, being present in 46.1% of the comments. Next most common were comments about information structure and information focus. In this paper we share sample participant comments in the top 18 areas that people noticed when evaluating Web site credibility. We discuss reasons for the prominence of design look, point out how future studies can build on what we have learned in this new line of research, and outline six design implications for human-computer interaction professionals.