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    "title" : "An introduction to trust |Digital.gov",
    "description": "An introduction to trust",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-to-trust/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"An introduction to trust","deck" : "Understand how digital services impact trust in government","summary" : "Guidance on how to build government websites that people can trust.","date" : "2023-10-06T12:29:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "digital-service-delivery" : "Digital service delivery",
            "governance" : "Governance",
            "plain-language" : "Plain language",
            "trust" : "Trust"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"an-introduction-to-trust.md",
      
      "filepath" :"resources/an-introduction-to-trust.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/resources/an-introduction-to-trust.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/resources/an-introduction-to-trust.md","slug" : "an-introduction-to-trust","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-to-trust/","weight" : "1","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-trust-in-digital-services\"\u003eWhat is trust in digital services?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlmost every interaction with government today has an online component, from looking up an agency’s phone number, to making an appointment or filling out a form, to completing an entire transaction online. Consequently, agency websites have come to represent the U.S. government. And because people tend to think about the federal government as a single thing, one poor experience with one agency website can diminish trust in the entire government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrusted digital services meet customer expectations, and they are easy to find, understand, and use.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"why-is-trust-important\"\u003eWhy is trust important?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause websites are sometimes the only way the public interacts with agencies, it’s our duty to deliver a well-designed and helpful online experience. People expect government services to work well, especially online. When they don’t, it erodes public trust and reinforces negative perceptions of government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to a 2022 report by Pew Research, “Public trust in government remains low. Only about one-quarter of Americans say they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (22%).”\u003csup\u003e\u003ca aria-describedby=\"footnote-label\" href=\"#fn1\" id=\"footnotes-ref1\"\u003e[1]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-to-build-websites-that-people-can-trust\"\u003eHow to build websites that people can trust\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are practical steps you can take to meet the trust-related \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/checklist-of-requirements-for-federal-digital-services/\"\u003efederal web requirements\u003c/a\u003e. Start improving in these four areas to increase the trustworthiness of your site:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImprove design quality:\u003c/strong\u003e Have a clear and meaningful navigational structure, copyedited writing, and a professional looking visual design.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpfront disclosure:\u003c/strong\u003e Prominently display contact information and provide clear links to policy or documentation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrect and current content:\u003c/strong\u003e Knowledge and intention should inform the organization of the website, and users should feel that your site is knowledgeable  and supportive of what they are trying to do.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConnection to the rest of the web:\u003c/strong\u003e Present links to other government sources to be transparent and inspire confidence in the services your agency provides.\u003csup\u003e\u003ca aria-describedby=\"footnote-label\" href=\"#fn2\" id=\"footnotes-ref2\"\u003e[2]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrust is hard to earn, and even harder to regain once broken. Federal websites must demonstrate that they can be trusted by working well, meeting customer needs, and delivering real value.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"resources\"\u003eResources\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://designsystem.digital.gov/design-principles/#earn-trust\"\u003eUSWDS design principles\u003c/a\u003e — Earn trust by following consistent design principles\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://get.gov/\"\u003eGet .gov\u003c/a\u003e — Host your site on a .gov or .mil domain to assure users it’s an official government site\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2022/12/13/to-build-trust-aim-for-easy/\"\u003eTo build trust, aim for easy\u003c/a\u003e — Trust is built up with good experiences, and broken with bad ones\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"connect-with-others-interested-in-improving-trust-in-government\"\u003eConnect with others interested in improving trust in government\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Web Managers Community of Practice is a group of government employees who manage government websites and digital services. They work to create a trusted, seamless online experience for all. \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/web-content-managers/\"\u003eJoin the Web Managers Community\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped in collaboration with GSA’s Service Design Program, Office of Customer Experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"dg-footnote\"\u003e\n   \u003ch3 class=\"dg-footnote__heading\" id=\"footnote-label\"\u003eFootnotes\u003c/h3\u003e\n   \u003col class=\"dg-footnote__list\"\u003e\n      \u003cli class=\"dg-footnote__list-item\" id=\"fn1\"\u003ePublic Trust in Government: 1958-2023, \u003cem\u003ePew Research Center.\u003c/em\u003e 2023. \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/public-trust-in-government-1958-2022/\"\u003ewww.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/public-trust-in-government-1958-2022/\u003c/a\u003e. \u003ca href=\"#footnotes-ref1\" aria-label=\"Back to content\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n      \u003cli class=\"dg-footnote__list-item\" id=\"fn2\"\u003e4 Trustworthiness Factors, \u003cem\u003eNielsen Norman Group.\u003c/em\u003e 2021. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAWcYSBQHNc\"\u003ehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAWcYSBQHNc\u003c/a\u003e. \u003ca href=\"#footnotes-ref2\" aria-label=\"Back to content\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n   \u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"}
  ]
}