for Global User- Interface Development

AaronMarcusandAssociates,Inc.1196EuclidAvenue,Suite1FBerkeley,CA94708-1640,USAEmail:[e-mail]:[phone],Fax:[phone]Web::APracticalSetofCultureDimensionsforGlobalUser-InterfaceDevelopment1January2004ContentsIntroduction3CultureDimensionsandUser-InterfaceDesign5Survey,Results,andIdeasforPracticalUse8PracticalUseoftheSet12ConclusionsandRecommendationsforFurtherResearch15References16AM+AAM+AWhitePaper:ABest-of-BreedPage2,:AM+A_CultDimsPrctcl_20Jun05.docThisdocumentisproprietary.©Copyright2004AM+A.Thisdocumentisconfidentialandproprietary.Page2AM+A_CultDim.doc,1January2004AbstractUser-interfacedesignisinfluencedbyculturaldifferences.Culturesaroundtheworldhavedifferentpatternsofsocialbehaviorandinteractionthathaveledanthropologistsandscientistsofcommunicationtodevelopculturemodelswhosedimensionsdescribethesedifferences.Thispaperdescribesanefforttocollectexpertopinionabouttheseculturaldimensionsandhowtheyinfluenceuser-interfacedesign.Thegoalwastodeterminethemostimportantdimensions.Datacollectedfromover50expertsinthefieldofuser-interfacedesignarepresentedinthissurvey.Thispaperisaneditedextractofamuchlongerthesisbyoneoftheauthors[Baumgartner].AuthorMr.AaronMarcus,PresidentAaronMarcusandAssociates,Inc.1196EuclidStreet,SuiteFBerkeley,CA94708-1640,USATel:[phone],Fax:[phone]Email:[e-mail]©Copyright2004byAM+A.Note:ThiswhitepaperhasbeeneditedandlaterpublishedasMarcus,Aaron,andBaumgartner,Valentina-Johanna(2004).APracticalSetofCultureDimensionforEvaluatingUser-InterfaceDesignsinProceedings,SixthAsia-PacificConferenceonComputer-HumanInteraction(APCHI2004),RoyalLakesideNovotelHotel,Rotorua,NewZealand,30June-2July2004,252-261.Acknowledgment:ThispaperisbasedonBaumgartner’sMaster’sthesisattheFachhochschuleJoanneum,Graz,Austria,2004,whichinturnwasbasedonherworkexperienceatAM+Ain2003-2004asaDesigner/Analyst.AM+AAM+AWhitePaper:ABest-of-BreedPage3,:AM+A_CultDimsPrctcl_20Jun05.docThisdocumentisproprietary.©Copyright2004AM+A.Thisdocumentisconfidentialandproprietary.Page3AM+A_CultDim.doc,1January2004IntroductionPeoplefromdifferentcountries/culturesuseuser-interfaces(UIs)indifferentways,preferdifferentgraphicallayouts,andhavedifferentexpectationsandpatternsinbehavior.Thereforeuser-interfacesmustbeadaptedtotheneedsofdifferentlocalestoprovideanoptimumuserexperience.Localization,forexampleofWebsitesorsoftwareapplications,includeschangingmetaphors,mentalmodels,navigation,interaction,andappearance[Marcus,22ff).Muchresearchisdoneonthetopicoflocalizationregardingtechnicalapproaches(e.g.displaydifferentcharactersets,multi-languagehandling,andmemory-basedtranslationsoftware).Tofacilitatetheworkoftranslatorsandmulti-languagesiteproviders,contentmanagementsystems(CMS)wereinventedthatsupportdifferentcultures,butonlyregardingtextandtranslation.Infact,currentCMSarenotreallyabletohandlemostotheraspectsofcontentandthereforeculturaldifferencesautomatically,especiallyregardinggraphicalappearance.Today,ifacompanyororganizationdecidestoadaptaUItoacertainculture,muchtimeandmoneymustbespenttoaccomplishthistaskwell:besidesalltheterminology/measurementchangesandtranslation,onemusthireculturalexpertsforallthetargetedcountriestoaccountforallUI-componentchanges.Nielsen[Nielsen,1996]admitsthatinternationalusabilityengineeringisachallengingandoftenavoidedareabecauseofthemanyissuesthathavetobecoveredwhenonewantstoserveaninternationalaudience.[Nielsen,Engineering,1)Tofacilitateandlowerthecostsoflocalizing,thedevelopmentofaCMSthatcouldhandletheexpandedrequirementsoflocalizationwouldbehelpful.TosupportaneventualdevelopmentofsuchaCMS,itisdesirabletoidentifythemostimportantdimensionsofcultureregardingUIdevelopment.ThisideaisbasedontheworkMarcushasdoneusingGeertHofstede’sculturaldimensionsandapplyingthemtothefieldofUIdesign[MarcusandGould].ThiscurrentresearchgoesfurtherandseekstofindoutifHofstede’sdimensions,orothers,areappropriatetouseforculture-orientedevaluationofUIs.Manyresearchersinthefieldofanthropologyhavestudiedpatternsofbehaviorandthinkingthatdifferentiateoneculturefromanother.Someofthemhavecompiledthesepatternsintoculturemodels.TogatherexpertopinionsaboutwhichofthedimensionsofthesemodelsareimportantwhenlocalizingUIs,asetofdimensionsextractedfromprimaryreferenceswerepresentedtoexpertsintheformofaquestionnaire.Theexpertswereaskedtorankthedimensionsaccordingtotheirperceptionsofimportance.TheoutcomeoftherankingisthebasisofananalysisaboutwhichdimensionsareimportantforthefieldofUIdesignAM+AAM+AWhitePaper:ABest-of-BreedPage4,:AM+A_CultDimsPrctcl_20Jun05.docThisdocumentisproprietary.©Copyright2004AM+A.Thisdocumentisconfidentialandproprietary.Page4AM+A_CultDim.doc,1January2004andwhytheyar