Navigating the Digital Spice Route - 10 experience principles to bridge European user experiences with the rest of the world. The growth of the Internet has been expanding rapidly, breaching new audiences with their own unique customs, languages, and practices. Are we prepared to cater to the 3 billion or so new users logging online? Using the Internet as a digital spice route to connect to these new markets, we will consider key experience principles when creating websites, mobile experiences etc when catering to these audiences on a global scale. With increasing demand from eastern markets, we need to revaluate how we create digital experiences that not only appeal to western channels but to also accommodates eastern audiences.

2. Navigating the digital spice route Terry MaLBi London Euro IA VII 23 Sept2011

3. What is the spice route?

4. 13th century spice route 13th century spice route

5. The old challenges Distance Means of travel Silk, spices, drugs and human trafficking Language Communication Conflicts Show me the money

6. 21st century digital spice route

7. Fast forward 800 years >>> Distance closer than ever Means of travel faster and easier Silk, spice, drugs and human trafficking still happen Information – the NEW medium! Language still an issue Communication still a challenge Conflicts still an issue Show me the money everyone still wants it

8. Experience principles

9. Work with local knowledge One size doesn’t fit all Respect is a different concept in the East Prepare for the language barrier Deliver a sense of status and prestige Consider various communication mediums and interactions Understand their technological behaviours and habits Be sensitive towards the country’s values 9. Tailor to the local markets 10. Be genuine Ten experience principles

10. 1. Work with local knowledge

11. Capture audience insights Use local market experts to conduct user research Always check with local diplomats / staff to sense check the use of imageries and translations. Check out local newspapers and magazines to understand the local cultures Warning! Beware of information taken from the internet

14. 2. One size doesn’t fit all

15. Catered to multiple demographics China Tier 1 - Beijing – 22 millions, Shanghai – 23 millions, Guangzhou -15 millions Tier 2 - Secondary provincial capitals (consist of 23 cities) including Chengdu, Dalian, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin Tier 3 - Prefecture or county level city capitals

16. Catered to multiple demographics Eastern and western side of Saudi Arabia Dhahran – the west, the richer side, the headquarter of Saudi Aramco Jeddah – the east, the poorer side, its further away from the oil

17. 3. Respect is a different concept in the East

18. Know your role in client engagements Do not assume everyone do businesses the same way as Europeans do Transaction oriented – Western Relationship oriented – Chinese Hierarchy oriented – Middle East

19. Give face HSBC cultural sensitive communications ad

20. 4. Prepare for the language barrier 4. Prepare for the language barrier

21. Do you speak Chinese? Different dialect Cantonese? Mandarin? Traditional vs simplified Traditional Chinese 雞蛋 Cantonese 雞蛋 (gai1 daan2) Simplified Chinese 鸡蛋 Mandarin 鸡蛋 (jīdàn)

22. Typography “Arabic typography is half Arabic and half typography. It is not possible to separate letterforms from the reality in which they will appear. To understand Arabic typography is to understand first what is Arabic.”Nadine Chahine, type designer and Arabic specialist for Linotype GmbH

23. Typography Line length Sizing Arabic Non-web friendly fonts – only browsers that support CSS3 styling can render them Chinese text is laid out on a regular two-dimensional grid monospaced each character is centred at its own box allow 200% extra line height

26. Localised content UK version China version

27. Layout Arabic version English version

29. 5. Deliver a sense of prestige and status

30. Pay attention to the visual language Imagery choice Content / copy, tone of voice Information architecture layout Colours in culture Chinese – Red represents good luck and celebrations Gulf – obsession with gold

31. http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/

32. 6. Consider various communication mediums and interactions

33. Social entertainment RenRen social network site

34. Flash is still the key medium

35. Flash is still the key medium

36. Flash is still the key medium

37. Flash is still the key medium

38. Designing for clicks

39. Form a dialogue with the audience Word of mouth Make use of the social media

41. Form a dialogue with the audience Word of mouth Make use of the social media Local celebrity endorsement

43. 7. Understand their technological behaviours and habits

44. Use the right platform Accommodate mobile as the main stream platform Mobile vs. desktop / laptops Take connection speed into account Superfast speed in Japan and Korea Snail speed in parts of China and India Broadband (max speed 20MB) unjustifiably expensive in Saudi Arabia Identify consumer payment preferences Credit card vsAlipay in China E-commerce shop vsTaobao in China

45. Use the right platform

48. 8. Be sensitive towards the country’s values

49. Censorship and privacy Utilise the power of social media Uprising in the middle east - Facebook and twitter Take censorship seriously YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr are all blocked in China Baidu blocks pornography or references to topics such as Taiwanese independence, the Dalai Lama, and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Blogging in Saudi Arabia requires a licence

50. Extra caution with imagery selection Imagery of women (Middle East) Islamic dress code Well dressed according to religion Rule of thumb – Be respectful – no exotic dancers or naked woman Prohibited content Alcohol – drunk, served or in the background Gambling – Islam prohibits playing or even being there Photo of intimacy When in doubt always replace image of people with images of scenery. Ensure people wearing national dress correctly Mixed couple imagery – always portrait as family Best to keep females and male images separated

51. Extra caution with imagery selection Sexual and political sensitive images (China) Pornography the Dalai Lama 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre

52. 9. Tailor to the local markets

53. Imitation vs. innovation Competition from the local markets Grass root user centre design in China – Shanzhai (山寨)

54. BaiGooHoo

55. Obama Blockberry

56. Converse 2 in 1

57. Multi brand trainers

58. Local Rolls Royce

59. Imitation vs. innovation Successfully emerge to become global brands by enhancing experience, functionality and quality ZTE – 4th largest mobile manufacturer in the world “We are good at customisation, according to different cultures and customs. We can differentiate” LG, Samsung, Tsingtao, Lenovo, Haier

60. Asia global brands

61. Tesco shuttle in Beijing

62. 10. Be genuine

63. Pole dancing in Saudi Arabia

64. Maintain your own identity Maintain own brand offerings but localise product offerings Nike Coke-cola

65. Nike China Campaign

66. Coke Beijing Ad Campaign

67. Recap

68. Digital spice route 13th century spice route

69. Work with local knowledge One size doesn’t fit all Respect is a different concept in the East Prepare for the language barrier Deliver a sense of status and prestige Consider various communication mediums and interactions Understand their technological behaviours and habits Be sensitive towards the country’s values 9. Tailor to the local markets 10. Be genuine Ten experience principles

71. Pick & Mix

72. Intensity

73. Cultural colour palette