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Whither goes the Web?

Stan Wearden finds design, not content, determines credibility for many readers

Will you believe what you read in this article?

Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Stan Wearden is conducting research to determine what makes a Web site seem credible.

The visual design of this site may influence your opinion as much as what is written, he has found.

"Design conveys a Web site's personality," says Wearden. That personality affects our perception of the trustworthiness of information contained on the site.

Wearden received a $120,000 Ohio Board of Regents grant to complete his research. He is collaborating with Christina Haas, a professor in the Department of English.

{Click here to view other research by Christina Haas) His research is two-fold. He is studying the behavior of people as to how they verify their sources on the Internet, and he is looking at what factors make a Web site appear to be credible.

Wearden is expanding on his area of expertise. He studied source verification in newspapers in his graduate thesis and has done research on digital media design.

The Web is also being used as a tool in his study. He has contacted about 800 professional writers who can fill out his survey online. That information forms a database that Wearden then analyzes.

Professional design is emerging as the most important factor in making a site appear credible, he says.

"This suggests that people can be duped by good design," says Wearden.

He wants to be able to teach people to look for clues to help assess a site's credibility. As he gathers more information, he would like to be able to identify best practices of Internet research techniques.

"...People can be duped by good
[Web] design."

Stan Wearden on Web credibility
Photo by Gary Hanson

LINKS OF INTEREST

For a short online biography of Wearden and links to several of his articles on digital publishing, click here.

Understanding factors of online information design allows Wearden to adapt the basics of verification to a new environment.

Wearden also wants to know the limitations of Web design.

"I'd like to study further how far you can take the bells and whistles of design before you lose credibility."

He plans to develop workshops that would teach people how to assess credibility and also how to design sites that prove their trustworthiness.

Story produced by Val Kelly

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Read about some of the work being done by JMC faculty to better understand the World Wide Web

Source credibility of Web sites can be a strange proposition, as design takes precedence over content.

Stan Wearden, professor, print news.

Writing news for online audiences is very different from writing for traditional newspaper readers.

Fred Endres, professor, print news.

Media convergence affects students and creates new business models in the industry.

Barb Hipsman, associate professor, print news.

Web technology can be a dynamic and effective teaching tool in the classroom.

Gary Hanson, assistant professor, broadcast news.

How valuable and productive are online news partnerships between papers and television?

Evonne Whitmore, assistant professor, broadcast news.

A renovated Franklin Hall will be JMC's home in Fall 2006, as well as a symbol of our commitment to preparing students for the digital future. View a multimedia story about our vision and the building.