ABSTRACT
Aesthetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Language and verbal style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Globalization Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Planet Sabre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Culture Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Introduction to Culture Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Culture: An Additional Issue for Globally
Oriented UI Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Power Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Individualism versus Collectivism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Long-versus Short-Term Time Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Design Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Conclusions and Future Research
Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
User interfaces (UIs) for successful products and services enable users around the world to access complex data and functions. Solutions to global user interface design consist of partially universal and partially local solutions to the design of metaphors, mental models, navigation, appearance, and interaction. The UI development process must account for many complex localization issues, in particular, the user group’s culture. Culture dimensions, i.e., those proposed by anthropologists and other analysts of culture, can provide insight into how designers can/should adjust UIs to better serve users. By managing users’ experiences of familiar structures and processes, the UI designer can achieve compelling solutions that enable the UI to be more useful and appealing. Users across the globe will be more productive and engaged with the products and services.
