How Interface Cues Become Trust Cues: Eye-Tracking and Cross-Source Qualitative Evidence From Digital News Interfaces

Abstract

In digital news environments, user trust is shaped not only by content and source credibility, but also by interface-level cues encountered during browsing. This study examines how navigation structure and interface color relate to trust-related evaluations and interface experience in digital news prototypes. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Study 1 used a $2 \times 3$ fully within-participant experiment in which 21 participants completed two navigation structures (flat and tree) under three color conditions (red, green, and blue); trust-related ratings, task-completion times, and eye-tracking measures were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Study 2 used cross-source qualitative analysis to explain the quantitative patterns. Navigation structure significantly affected the composite trust-related evaluation, Tasks A and B, mean fixation duration, and total dwell time, but not Task C. Color did not significantly affect the composite trust-related evaluation, but significantly affected Tasks A and C, mean fixation duration, and total dwell time; Task C completion time was longer under red than under green or blue. No structure-by-color interaction was significant. Qualitative findings identified four experiential dimensions: cognitive fluency, emotional stability, perceived trustworthiness, and immersive engagement. Overall, navigation structure showed the more consistent pattern across outcomes, whereas color operated as a task-dependent and context-sensitive visual cue.