Mass media and our most cynical memes say we live in a post-fact era. So who can we trust—and how do our users invest their trust? Expert opinions are a thing of the past; we favor user reviews from “people like us” whether we're planning a meal or prioritizing a newsfeed. But as our filter bubbles burst, consumers and citizens alike turn inward for the truth. By designing for empowerment, the smartest organizations meet them there. We must empower our audiences to earn their trust—not the other way around—and our tactical choices in content and design can fuel empowerment. Margot will walk you through examples from retail, publishing, government, and other industries to detail what you can do to meet unprecedented problems in information consumption. Learn how voice, volume, and vulnerability can inform your design and content strategy to earn the trust of your users. We'll ask the tough questions: How do brands develop rapport when audiences let emotion cloud logic? Can you design around cultural predisposition to improve public safety? And how do voice and vulnerability go beyond buzzwords and into broader corporate strategy? Learn how these questions can drive design choices in organizations of any size and industry—and discover how your choices can empower users and rebuild our very sense of trust itself. Presented at An Event Apart San Francisco, #aeasf, on December 9, 2019 by Margot Bloomstein

1. Margot Bloomstein / @mbloomstein
An Event Apart San Francisco
#aeasf / December 9, 2019
DESIGNING FOR TRUST
IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

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Universalis Cosmographia, Martin Waldseemüller, 1507

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Where does authority
come from?
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Portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze, Hans Holbein the Younger, 1532

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“I’m here, you’re not, let me tell you about it.”
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“I’m here, you’re not, let me tell you about it.”
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360 With Anderson Cooper © CNN

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“I’m here, you’re not, let me tell you about it.”
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Ugly Delicious © Netflix

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Parts Unknown © CNN
“I’m here, you’re not, let me tell you about it.”

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Parts Unknown © CNN

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Authoritative brands offer authenticity to expectation.
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We look to see ourselves.
We look to see the truth.
We hope the images coincide.
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consistency

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© Porsche
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© Subaru
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© Volkswagen
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https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/30/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-mass-lawsuit-opens-in-Germany
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/11/03/vw-emissions-irregularities-gas-mileage-fuel-economy/75101432/
https://fortune.com/2015/11/03/volkswagen-diesel-emissions/
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/volkswagen-diesel-scandal/
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https://fortune.com/2018/02/06/volkswagen-vw-emissions-scandal-penalties/ Source: Bloomberg
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https://fortune.com/2018/02/06/volkswagen-vw-emissions-scandal-penalties/ Source: Bloomberg
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https://fortune.com/2018/02/06/volkswagen-vw-emissions-scandal-penalties/ Source: Bloomberg

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For better or worse,
our internal truths trump external facts

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©Sam Morrison / www.presidentflopflops.com

24. Inconsistency erodes our ability to evaluate and trust.
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This is our problem.
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expertise → homophily

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expertise → homophily → narcissism

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63% of the general population finds it difficult
to differentiate between real and fake news.
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer

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Only 40% of Americans say they have
a “great deal of confidence” in science.
Source: AP-NORC Center study Confidence in Institutions: Trends in Americans’Attitudes toward Government, Media, and Business

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Inconsistency undermines trust—
externally and internally.

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Does this information align
with my viewpoint?

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Does this brand make me
feel good about myself?

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©Jana Birchum for The Austin Chronicle; from March 12, 2017 panel Good Night and Good Luck: Media in Election Years at SXSW

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How we form our beliefs affects our reality
more than what we already believe
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Cultural predisposition > confirmation bias
Vaccine hesitancy study source: Smith, David, Katie Attwell, and Paul Ward. “The Unhealthy Other”: How Vaccine Rejecting Parents
Construct the Vaccinating Mainstream, Vaccine Volume 36, Issue 12, March 14, 2018, p. 1621 – 1626.
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Empowerment rebuilds trust

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Voice
Volume
Vulnerability

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Voice

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Voice: champion familiarity over precision
and consistency over novelty

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Voice
Volume

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Users can appreciate slow experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.

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Courage in our
convictions
Empirical
proof

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56. ©Yunghi Kim, Contact Press

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Voice
Volume: offer enough detail to convey
a complete story and make the user feel smart

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Voice
Volume
Vulnerability

59. COOK’S ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLE

61. COOK’S ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLE

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COOK’S ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLE

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COOK’S ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLE

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ADD OUTSIDE YOUR BUBBLE

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Voice
Volume
Vulnerability: compare, don’t exclude, and
prototype in public to work with users,
not for them

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To regain trust, we must empower people and
build their confidence in themselves and in us.

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Authority earns trust—
because empowerment
fuels it
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Portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze, Hans Holbein the Younger, 1532

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Voice: champion familiarity over precision
and consistency over novelty
Volume: offer enough detail to convey a
complete story and make the user feel smart
Vulnerability: compare, don’t exclude, and
prototype in public to work with users,
not for them

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Do we live in a post-fact era?

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Do we live in a post-fact era?
When was the fact era?

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Design won’t save the world—
but it may make it more worth saving.

72. Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein
margot@appropriateinc.com
All this and more: slideshare.com/mbloomstein
→ TRUSTWORTHY BOOK COMING SOON 
THANK YOU