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The Twitter X dilemma: Trust as a finite resource in UX

How even well-established, familiar user interfaces like Twitter can’t make up for lack of user trust.

Daley Wilhelm
UX Collective
11 min readAug 2, 2023
On a blue and white graffiti background, a giant X logo stands out in white.
The new Twitter is X.com, not to be confused with similarly named adult sites. Image from — https://www.20minutos.es/gonzoo/noticia/5159146/0/elon-musk-troleado-las-redes-por-juego-palabras-los-videos-x-antigua-twitter-con-una-conocida-web-para-adultos/

Do you still trust Twitter? Do you feel like it is “the world’s most accurate, real-time information source and a global town square for communication?” Since October 2022, big changes have shaken up the company both internally and externally, which has led to an erosion of user trust in the platform.

But does trust really matter in user experience? If Twitter works (generally) as advertised and has become as ubiquitous as it is, why should it matter whether or not the average user “believes” in the product?

Why trust is sacred

A vertical sign reading @twitter has all the letters removed aside from the “er.”
The Twitter sign is currently being taken down on the San Francisco HQ. Image from — https://slate.com/technology/2023/07/twitter-obituary-future-tense-newsletter.html

One of the first people I followed here on Medium was H. Locke, and even if I don’t know his first name, I trust in his articles to be informed by real world experience and wisdom. That’s why I am borrowing from his article “14 ways that good design builds trust with users” and recommend everyone with interest in the subject to give it a read.

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Published in UX Collective

We believe designers are thinkers as much as they are makers. Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design. https://linktr.ee/uxc

Written by Daley Wilhelm

A fiction writer turned UX writer dedicated to crisp copy, inclusive experiences, and humanizing tech.

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