Guidelines for developing trust in health websites

How do people decide which health websites to trust and which to reject? Thirteen participants all diagnosed with hypertension were invited to search for information and advice relating to hypertension. Participants took part in a four-week study engaging in both free and directed web searches. A content analysis of the group discussions revealed support for a staged model of trust in which mistrust or rejection of websites is based on design factors and trust or selection of websites is based on content factors such as source credibility and personalization. A number of guidelines for developing trust in health websites are proposed. Categories and Subject Descriptors H3.3 [Information storage and retrieval]: search processes; K4.1 [Public Policy Issues]: computer related health issues. General Terms: Design, Human Factors

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: WWW
• Authors: Elizabeth Sillence, Pamela Briggs, Lesley Fishwick, Peter Harris
• Keywords: Content Factors, Discussions Revealed Support, Health Websites, Internet Technology, WWW 2005