ABSTRACT
Issues of effective communication for diverse sets of users can take various forms: internationalization of inputs and outputs, translation of text and messages, revision of graphics and text to localize the product/service, and implementation of new communication approaches, including cognitive and rhetorical techniques. Often, appropriate localization of the user interface (UI) of products/ services combines a mixture of partially universal and partially local solutions, depending on a needs analysis of the users and a business justification for globalization. Cultural dimensions, that is, those patterns of behavior and thinking proposed by anthropologists and other analysts of culture, can provide insight and help designers adjust UIs to better serve users. Insufficient attention to global UI design can lead to undesired, sometimes embarrassing, and sometimes critically misunderstood communication. Inexpert internationalization of data fields makes it difficult or impossible for international customers to enter shipping addresses.
