ABSTRACT
Many cultures around the world work to harness both the social and financial benefits tied to the Internet and the international marketplace that the Internet undergirds. Opportunities are consistently present for businesses and organizations of all kinds to establish and expand their markets into other geographic locations. The key element to conducting business across geographic borders and engaging domestic and international marketplaces is a computer system that will bare a computer interface designed as the point of interaction for the end user. As businesses and organizations alike seize opportunities to market their products or services, it is essential for them to recognize that cultural differences among their potential user groups must be factored into the design of the computer interface. Within cultures people share common languages, values, beliefs, rituals, rules, and normative practices that comprise the way in which their society functions (Veroff and Goldberg, 1995). Consequently, the unique cultural attributes of the intended user groups must be considered for the design and development of human-computer systems, in order to mitigate the negative consequences produced when deviating from the users’ mental models.
