DESIGN PROCESS
8 MIN READ
NOVEMBER 25, 2025
LEO LARGILLET
HERE IS SOMETHING THEY DO NOT TEACH IN DESIGN SCHOOL: A B2B PURCHASE DECISION IS FUNDAMENTALLY A TRUST DECISION.
THE BUYER IS STAKING THEIR PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION ON YOUR PRODUCT. IF IT FAILS, THEY FACE CONSEQUENCES. UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS. DAMAGED CREDIBILITY. POTENTIALLY CAREER IMPACT. NOBODY EVER GOT FIRED FOR BUYING IBM, THE SAYING GOES. WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS: NOBODY EVER GOT FIRED FOR CHOOSING THE SAFE, TRUSTED OPTION.
THIS IS WHY B2B DESIGN SERVES A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THAN B2C. CONSUMER BRANDS CAN SEDUCE AND DELIGHT. B2B BRANDS MUST FIRST REASSURE. BEFORE A PROSPECT CONSIDERS YOUR FEATURES, BEFORE THEY EVALUATE YOUR PRICING, THEY ARE UNCONSCIOUSLY ASKING: IS THIS COMPANY REAL? ARE THEY COMPETENT? WILL THEY STILL EXIST IN TWO YEARS?
DESIGN ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE YOUR SALES TEAM PICKS UP THE PHONE.
THE THREE LEVELS OF TRUST
Trust in B2B contexts operates across three levels. Most companies only address the first.
FUNCTIONAL TRUST
"Does this product do what it claims?"
Built through: clear value propositions, logical feature presentation, technical documentation, case studies with specifics.
This is table stakes. If you cannot establish functional trust, nothing else matters. But functional trust alone is not enough to win.
RELATIONAL TRUST
"Will this company support us when things go wrong?"
Built through: visible team presence, accessible support information, transparent communication, customer community evidence.
This is where differentiation begins. Products are increasingly similar. The relationship around the product often decides the sale.
STRATEGIC TRUST
"Does this company understand our challenges at a deeper level?"
Built through: thought leadership, industry-specific insights, sophisticated positioning, long-term vision articulation.
This is rare. Most B2B design stops at functional trust. The brands that win enterprise deals, the ones with shorter sales cycles and higher close rates, operate at all three levels.
PEOPLE DO NOT BUY PRODUCTS. THEY BUY BETTER VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES. IN B2B, THAT MEANS BECOMING THE PERSON WHO MADE THE SMART CHOICE.
— SAMUEL HULICK
TWELVE PATTERNS THAT BUILD TRUST
These are not opinions. They are patterns observed across hundreds of B2B websites and validated through conversion data.
ONE: VISUAL CONSISTENCY
Every inconsistency triggers unconscious doubt. If your colours drift between pages, if your typography varies, if your spacing is erratic, each instance whispers "unprofessional." You might not notice consciously. But your amygdala does.
Consistency signals operational competence. If they cannot keep their brand consistent, how will they handle my data?
TWO: DELIBERATE WHITE SPACE
Crowded layouts feel desperate. Generous white space communicates confidence. "We do not need to shout. We know you will read what matters." Enterprise buyers especially associate white space with premium positioning.
THREE: REAL PHOTOGRAPHY OVER ILLUSTRATION
Photographs of real people build trust faster than illustrated figures. When possible, show your actual team, your actual office, your actual customers. Authenticity compounds.
Stock photography is transparent. Everyone has seen the same multiethnic team high-fiving in a conference room. Custom photography is an investment that signals commitment.
FOUR: PRECISE TYPOGRAPHY
Typography errors are immediately registered, even by non-designers. Inconsistent tracking. Orphaned words. Improper hierarchy. Widows and orphans in body copy.
Precision in typography signals precision in everything. Sloppiness suggests the same.
FIVE: STRUCTURED SOCIAL PROOF
Not just "Trusted by 500+ companies" but structured evidence. Named customers. Specific outcomes. Recognisable logos arranged with intention.
The architecture of your social proof matters as much as its content. Random testimonials feel like you grabbed whatever you could find.
SIX: TRANSPARENT PRICING
When feasible, visible pricing builds enormous trust. Hidden pricing signals friction ahead. It says: "We are going to make you talk to sales before we show you the number."
Even "Starting at £X" or "Enterprise: Contact us" with clear reasoning helps. Give people a framework, not a black box.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
SIBELLE
SEE HOW WE DESIGNED TRUST INTO A SENSITIVE HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE.
SEVEN: ACCESSIBLE LEADERSHIP
Founder and leadership visibility humanises the company. Photos, bios, LinkedIn links. Faceless corporations trigger caution. Visible humans invite connection.
"I know who is behind this" is a powerful trust signal. Hiding creates questions you do not want prospects asking.
EIGHT: SUBSTANTIVE CONTENT
Blog posts, guides, documentation that demonstrate genuine expertise. Not keyword-stuffed content created for SEO algorithms. Visitors can tell the difference immediately. Depth builds authority. Fluff undermines it.
NINE: LOGICAL INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Visitors should find what they are looking for without frustration. Confusing navigation suggests a confusing product. Make pathways obvious.
If I cannot find your pricing page, I am going to assume you are hiding something.
TEN: PERFORMANCE AS DESIGN
Slow pages erode trust. Every second of load time increases bounce rate and decreases credibility. "If their website is this slow, what is their product like?"
Technical performance is a design decision. Do not treat it as an afterthought.
ELEVEN: THOUGHTFUL ERROR HANDLING
When something goes wrong, a 404 page, a form error, an edge case, how you handle it reveals character. Thoughtful error states show you anticipated problems.
A good 404 page says "We knew you might end up here, and we have prepared for it." A bad one says "We did not think this through."
TWELVE: CONTACT ACCESSIBILITY
Multiple clear paths to human support. Chat, email, phone if possible. Hidden contact information triggers "Will they disappear after the sale?" fears.
The harder you make it to reach a human, the more doubt you create about what happens when something goes wrong.
SIBELLE: TRUST IN HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY
Sibelle faced an exceptional trust challenge. Their PCOS management app deals with sensitive health data and deeply personal struggles. Users need to trust not just the product, but the brand's understanding of their experience.
You cannot fake this kind of trust. Women dealing with PCOS have heard empty promises before. They can spot inauthenticity instantly.
Our approach layered trust signals across all three levels:
FUNCTIONAL TRUST
Clear explanation of how the app works. What data is collected. How privacy is protected. Nothing hidden. Medical credibility established through partnerships and content review processes.
RELATIONAL TRUST
The Sibby mascot, a chaotic cat personifying PCOS, humanises the condition. The design says "we understand" before any words do. It acknowledges what these women are going through without sanitising it.
STRATEGIC TRUST
Two typefaces working together: one warm, one clinical. This signals dual expertise. Emotional understanding AND medical rigour. Neither alone would be enough. Together, they create a brand women trust with sensitive health data.
The result: a brand that feels safe specifically because every design choice signals understanding and competence. Not one or the other. Both.
THE ENTERPRISE BUYING COMMITTEE
Enterprise buying committees have specific psychology that design must address. They are not a monolith. Different people in the process need different things.
THE CHAMPION
Your internal advocate who found you. They are on your side, but they need ammunition to sell internally. Give them shareable assets. Clear ROI framings. Executive summary content they can forward without embarrassment.
THE SCEPTIC
Every committee has one. They are looking for reasons to say no. Pre-answer their objections with visible security certifications, integration documentation, migration support details. Do not make them dig.
THE TECHNICAL EVALUATOR
This person will scrutinise your documentation. Sparse or outdated docs destroy trust instantly. They signal that you do not take technical excellence seriously.
Invest in technical content as much as marketing content. The technical evaluator's "no" kills deals.
THE EXECUTIVE DECISION-MAKER
They skim. They do not read. They need immediate clarity on strategic value. Design for scannability at the executive level while providing depth for detailed evaluators.
Your website serves all four simultaneously. Design architecture must create pathways for each while maintaining coherent brand experience. That is harder than it sounds.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
ROOTMERGE
EXPLORE HOW WE DESIGNED FOR TECHNICAL CREDIBILITY WITHOUT SACRIFICING APPROACHABILITY.
TRUST ANTI-PATTERNS TO AVOID
HYPERBOLE OVERLOAD
"The most powerful platform for..." "Revolutionary AI that..." Superlatives without substance trigger scepticism. Confident understatement builds more trust than aggressive claims.
If you have to tell me you are revolutionary, you probably are not.
STOCK PHOTO SYNDROME
Generic business people shaking hands, looking at computers, pointing at whiteboards. Everyone recognises stock photography. It signals inauthenticity. "They did not care enough to use real images."
TESTIMONIAL VAGUENESS
"Great product!" - John S., Marketing Manager
Who is John? What company? What specific outcome? Vague testimonials are worse than none. They make you look like you are hiding something.
FEATURE BOMBARDMENT
Listing every feature overwhelms and confuses. Curated feature presentation shows you understand what matters. Restraint is trust.
TRENDY DESIGN FOR TREND'S SAKE
Glassmorphism, brutalism, whatever is hot. If it does not serve your audience and positioning, it undermines trust. Enterprise buyers notice when style trumps substance.
HIDDEN FRICTION
Pricing locked behind forms. Features requiring sales calls to understand. Demos requiring qualification. Every gate erodes trust even as it captures leads.
The leads you capture through friction are lower quality than the ones you attract through transparency.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
SANTORI
SEE HOW WE BUILT TRUST THROUGH RESTRAINT FOR A PRIVATE MEMBERS CLUB.
MEASURING TRUST IMPACT
Trust is difficult to measure directly. But these proxies indicate whether design is doing its job:
ENGAGEMENT DEPTH
Pages per session. Time on site. Return visitor rate. Content download rates. If people trust you, they explore. If they do not, they bounce.
CONVERSION QUALITY
Demo request quality. How qualified are inbound leads? Sales cycle length. Close rate changes after redesign. Reduction in common sales objections.
Better trust means warmer leads. Warmer leads mean shorter sales cycles.
QUALITATIVE SIGNALS
Sales call feedback. "Prospects came in warmer." Customer interview insights. "Your website made us confident." Competitive win analysis. "We felt you understood our industry better."
Track these before and after design changes. The data tells you whether trust is improving.
THE BUSINESS CASE
Here is why this matters to your bottom line:
The average B2B deal involves 6-10 decision-makers. Each evaluates your brand independently. If your design fails to build trust with any one of them, you have introduced friction that sales must overcome.
Companies with strong brand trust see, according to various research:
23% shorter sales cycles. Trust accelerates decisions.
3x higher pricing tolerance. People pay more when they feel confident.
50% reduction in customer acquisition cost over time. Trust compounds.
These are not vanity metrics. They are the compound return on design that prioritises trust.
The investment in trust-building design is not about aesthetics. It is about sales efficiency. Marketing efficiency. Customer retention. Growth.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONFIDENCE
TRUST IN B2B IS NEVER ESTABLISHED IN A SINGLE MOMENT. IT IS ARCHITECTURE, BUILT PIECE BY PIECE THROUGH HUNDREDS OF DESIGN DECISIONS. EACH EITHER REINFORCES OR UNDERMINES THE STRUCTURE.
EVERY TYPOGRAPHY CHOICE. EVERY IMAGE SELECTION. EVERY PIECE OF MICROCOPY. EVERY LOADING STATE. EVERY ERROR MESSAGE. ALL OF IT EITHER DEPOSITS OR WITHDRAWS FROM YOUR TRUST ACCOUNT.
THE BRANDS THAT WIN DO NOT JUST HAVE BETTER PRODUCTS. THEY HAVE BETTER TRUST ARCHITECTURE. THEY HAVE SWEATED THE DETAILS THAT SEEM SMALL BUT COMPOUND INTO SOMETHING PROSPECTS CAN FEEL, EVEN IF THEY CANNOT ARTICULATE IT.
WHEN A BUYER CHOOSES YOUR PRODUCT, THEY ARE NOT JUST BUYING FEATURES. THEY ARE BUYING CONFIDENCE THAT CHOOSING YOU WILL NOT DAMAGE THEIR CAREER. THAT IS WHAT TRUST IS REALLY ABOUT.
DESIGN THAT CONFIDENCE INTO EVERYTHING YOU MAKE. AND IF YOU WANT HELP DOING THAT, YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND US.
TRUSTB2B DESIGNUX DESIGNCREDIBILITYENTERPRISE BRANDING