Why transparency is key for the future of brand user experience
and how they are starting to deliver
As trust in digital organisation crumbles we are left at a cross roads. From eCommerce experiences to digital social experiences, people are increasingly weary of the implications of interacting and placing their trust in the digital world. Even Facebook have started asking itself the ‘hard questions’ about transparency and it’s real life implications, after a terribly eventful few years that is. When it comes to transparency in media, they claim to have taken the move to promote more meaningful experiences instead of monetised content and it is this publicity that takes us to the question of how brands could promote transparency and how this affects their user experience.
Organizations will need to prepare for an inevitable shift from “touch points” to “trust points.” — Fjord Trend Report
Fjord writes that Organizations will need to shift their emphasis from “touch points” to “trust points” when carving out market differentiation. The say that blockchain will be vital to delivering these trust worthy experiences as information will be able to be tracked to the source.
Blockchain is still largely misunderstood though and although it is largely used in the financial industry it may not seem suitable for smaller digital services, until it really does live up to its potential.
To look to the future to how brands could deliver more trustworthy experiences we could look at what is already being practiced in refreshing ways across certain online retailers. Like blockchain promises, it traces information to the source but on a smaller and more ethical scale in response to the slip ups and failings of larger organisations.
This experience is utilized by providing the customer a chance to get closer to the factories the clothes are made in, providing relevant information about the ethical methods used to manufacture their clothes and why you should buy into them. To some extent, some brands are even making the whole shipping process transparent in an attempt to break free from the standards larger organisations have set upon us.
I believe this type of transparency is a prime example of how brands will start to become more transparent to deliver a better user experience. By making the user feel closer to the product through complete honesty and relevance more trust is delivered.
The way in which brands use social media is also become a key factor in how they deliver an experience. Posts that are promoted through more authentic and meaningful interactions will not always be a brand anymore. Facebook's multiple interacts were a step in the right direction but we have become bombarded with other peoples political agendas even through brands that are trying to promote trust,
At the end of the day, click bait can’t be trusted and for brands in social media to succeed there should be a repeated emphasis on the way in which information is presented to us and when.
There are plenty of ways brands can deliver on their promises of trust. From honest and clear navigation, the source of information and supplies to the way they interact with customers. Trust has never been so important for digital brands and it will be exciting to see how their experiences evolve over the next year.
