Designing and developing websites that reach out and
spark the interest of multiple cultures is difficult. Because a website is the
online “face” of an organization and regularly conducts e-commerce activities
it is important to build sites that are both functional and effective. Research
by Dr. Kirk St. Amant examines culture, website design and the international
spread of online access for businesses that want to polish their global
business designs.
Cultures have an impact on how users frequent and
interact with website elements. It is often beneficial to use local administers
with key cultural knowledge to evaluate websites (Esselink, 2000). Providing
materials, information, e-commerce, and page navigation through the eyes of the
target culture can raise overall conversion rates and sales.
According to World Internet Stats in 2012 there were
approximately 2.4 billion Internet users with a market penetration of 34.3%
(Internet Users in the World, 2012). Growth between 2000 and 2012 is 566%
showing the market is growing at a significant rate. The large market highlights
how businesses can have profound impact if they develop their systems
appropriately.
The author discusses how symbols and pictures impact
how viewers understand web sites. For example, electrical plugs may look
different in some countries leading to a rejection of the product. Different cultures also have diversified understandings
of visual information that impact product impressions (Del Galdo, 1996).
Cultures use different prototypes to understand
information. In prototype theory customers scan information to find
similarities to the ideal (prototype) image in their heads to determine how to
understand and categorize information (Aitchison, 1994). When pictures and
information are mentally categorized on a site it is better understood and
acted on by customers.
The author concludes that by using simple analysis
mechanisms it is possible to improve the global appeal of websites. The report
acknowledges that this is just a first step and additional research into visual
perception and understanding issues will have a significant impact on sites in
the future. Businesses can consider the following website features in their evaluations:
Menu
Bar:
Where, How many, Linked vs. Image
Buttons:
Where, Shape, Text vs. Image
Color:
Background and Foreground Color
Hyperlinks:
How Many, Where, Visual Space, Design
Text:
How Much, Size, Capitalization, Consistency, Formatting
Search
Engine: Where, Color
Pictures:
How Many, Where, Size, Resolution, Color Scheme, Pictures vs. Artistic
Impressions, Human Pictures, Logos
Aitchison, J.
(1994). Bad birds and better
birds: prototype theory. Language: introductory readings. Ed. Virginia P.
Clark, Paul A. Eschholz and Alfred F. Rosa (4th ed). NY: St.
Martins.
Del Galdo, E. (1996). Culture and design. International User Interfaces. NY: Wiley
Esselink, B. (2000) A practical guid to localization. PA: John Benjamins.
Internet Users in the World (2012). World Internet
States. Retrieved June 30th, 2013 from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
