Education Services Mashup: Examining the Impact of Web Design Features on User Trust

Online trust is growing in importance. To date, most research studies have been conducted only on the initial or final stages of user trust on the use of Web-based systems or support services. In this paper, a description is made on the determinants and the level of potential students' trust on the entire lifecycle of using a Web-based institution applications status tracking system for an online educational services portal. It examines the potential students' perception of trust on three Web-based system design constructs that could affect the level of overall trust on the subsequent use of the full range of portal services. A conceptual framework links potential students' perceptions of website characteristics and trust towards their behavioural intents to interact with a portal. The investigation was conducted through a Web-based survey among a group of potential students on the respective level of trust on student relationship management, website design, and security/privacy related issues. Based on the findings, it was found that the availability of support services could strengthen the relationship between student relationship management and online trust. Similarly, the perceived usefulness and ease of use of a website coupled with the consistent graphical user interface features could strengthen the relationship between website navigation and online trust. The security/privacy consideration is also found to have a positive effect on online trust. The results also show that initial interactions with the potential students could serve as a launching pad for commencing and maintaining a long-term relationship between students and an educational services portal. It is felt that the research findings could offer useful guidelines for website design and portal management to enhance the potential students' trust on the use of any online educational services.