Designing trust in the Internet services

Being a supersophisticated system, the Internet not only gives unquestionable benefits but also brings some problems. These problems are caused by the transparency of the network space for creators and its nontransparency for general users, who experience processing complexity, lack of privacy, and fear of making a mistake. Such problems give grounds for questioning whether users can trust Internet services. We analyze graphic design and public relations (PR) as tools used to generate trust in Internet services under both the circumstances of transparency and nontransparency of the Internet. Our analysis shows that visual, reputational, and contextual factors have crucial importance in generating trust in Internet services under the circumstances of transparency and nontransparency of the network space; graphic design and PR play a critical role. Interactive design develops network images that produce the initial impression and lay the foundation for users’ trust (or lack of trust) in network resources (the perceptual and emotional level). PR tools are used to complete the process of generating trust by turning the initial impression into such qualitative characteristics as goodwill and information transparency with regard to status and social context (the rational level). Such combined application of graphic design and PR tools leads to harmonization of the network environment and generates users’ trust in Internet services.