The pyramid of trust

The pyramid of trust illustrates how relationships between users and a system develop through stages, each requiring deeper trust before advancing. For instance, consider a user's first interaction with a new app. Initially, they may download it based on its high ratings — a basic level of trust. As they explore its features and find them user-friendly and reliable, their trust increases, moving them to the next level.

If the app continues to perform well, providing timely updates and maintaining data security, users may reach the highest trust level, relying on the app daily and recommending it to others. Each stage builds on the previous one, showing how trust deepens between users and a system as they experience consistent reliability and value.