Visceral and cognitive levels of credibility judgment in an authorless environment: A factor analysis of the influence of visual design

Abstract

In thinking about the impact of social computing and Web 2.0 trends affecting information seekers (and the professionals who help them), the age-old problem of determining credibility in an authorless environment again comes to the fore. First impressions are key for web page content. Regardless of the quality or credibility of content, a poorly designed or aesthetically unappealing web page will likely produce a negative impression of credibility. This study compared credibility judgments for websites in which the visual design had been varied. A factor analysis showed patterns of higher credibility scores for higher visual design treatments. The importance of the findings presented here is that visual design has impact beyond decoration. It is a common (if latent) assumption that all serious web sites wish to be perceived as credible, believa ble, and trustworthy, especially in an authorless environment.