Designing services for people who've lost trust online
This article explores how UK government service designers are addressing the challenge of designing digital services for users who have lost trust in online systems. It outlines research insights and design principles aimed at rebuilding confidence, including transparency, human support options, and simpler digital interactions for vulnerable populations.
Background
- This post is from the UK Government's official design blog (designnotes.blog.gov.uk), written by the Government Digital Service (GDS), the team behind gov.uk and UK digital public services.
- It addresses a real problem: many people no longer trust official online services due to scams, data breaches, algorithmic bias, or misinformation. They may hesitate to use government websites, log-in systems, or digital forms.
- The key insight: being "trustworthy" (reliable, secure, transparent) is not enough if users have already lost trust in the system. Designers must actively rebuild trust through empathy, plain-language explanations, offline alternatives, and visible security cues.
- Relevant context: GDS's "gov.uk Verify" identity scheme struggled partly due to trust issues. The UK has seen high-profile public sector data breaches (e.g., Post Office Horizon scandal, NHS data leaks) that eroded public confidence.
- The post introduces "informed consent" as broken when users cannot distinguish real government services from phishing sites, and suggests making authenticity obvious.