We tend to trust things that are simple. I googled "how to gain trust" and was surprised to find so many relevant links. If it's so easy to gain trust, then why is trust so rare in our modern world?
Perhaps the very fact that there are so many googleable ways to gain trust lies at the root of the problem. If manipulating people to gain trust is a codifiable process, then our reason for trusting people that try to gain our trust is naturally suspect. Are they sincere? Or am I being manipulated? Perhaps the question though is whether even though our trust granting process were manipulated, was the manipulation warranted? What if I can trust what I have been convinced to trust in an accelerated fashion. Seems like a win. But it's hard to feel that way.
When something is AYSIWYG, or all you see is what you got, like a simple white cube made of marble, you do not question the object's raison d'etre. The cube is all that it is. You trust that it will not beep, vibrate, or blink at you. The form's visual presentation creates immediate trust.
On the other hand, you can have a white cube made of marble with an mp3 player inside it. You shake it, it turns on; you shake it, it turns off. The simplicity of the form upholds its promise.
However add a rewind, or fast-forward, or browsing functionality to the cube. You may set forth a visual promise with its simple form. But the actual interface to the added technical functions necessitates the disbarring of the illusion. Perhaps there is a hidden lever, or one of the faces is a trackpad-like input device. Thus the overall form creates the situation of, "Trust at first sight." Yet that trust is betrayed as the relationship deepens.
Thus trust at first sight may be the first step, but it's that more elusive lasting trust that requires a great deal more of thought in the design process for simplicity. The same, of course, can be said about life. I trust you'll figure out the answers yourself.
Posted by maeda at July 19, 2005 10:43 PM