Businesses know they need to localize their products before expanding into a new market. However, many businesses neglect the importance of cultural diversity and merely offer translations. In this talk, we will discuss examples from Jenny’s experience of designing for users in Europe, North- and South America, Asia, and Southeast Asia. Topics will include: • what does culture influence? • common design patterns for different cultures • do’s and dont’s for cross-cultural UX design

1. @JennyShen
..
How to Approach UX Design
Across Different Cultures
Jenny Shen | Amsterdam UX | May 2016

2. @JennyShen
Freelance UX/UI Designer
Founder of Ladies that UX Amsterdam

3. @JennyShen
7 countries & 24 nationalities

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Questions
at the end please?

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What is culture?
@JennyShen

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The collective programming of
the mind distinguishing the
members of one group or
category of people from others.
Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill USA, 2010
“
@JennyShen

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Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill USA, 2010
Cultural Dimensions
@JennyShen

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Culture affects Internet usage,
e-commerce trust, information
and communication technology
adoption, Internet marketing,
and website development.
Website Design And Trust Across Cultures, Dianne Cyr, Simon Fraser University
“

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What does it mean
for UX Designers?
@JennyShen

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It is no longer enough to simply offer a
product translated in ten to twenty
different languages.
Users also want a product that
acknowledges their unique cultural
characteristics and business practices.
Elisa del Galdo and Jakob Nielsen, International User Interfaces
“

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Do’s

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Local
Copywriting

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furnished apartments serviced apartments
corporate housing extended stays
temporary housing
apart hotels
monthly rentals
short-term rentals
vacation rentals
Housing for one month or longer

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Housing for one month or longer
furnished apartments serviced apartments
corporate housing extended stays
temporary housing
apart hotels
monthly rentals
short-term rentals
vacation rentals sublets

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American v.s. Filipino
@JennyShen

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Longest
Language

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TravelBird app download banner
@JennyShen
English Dutch

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Finnish
@JennyShen

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Solution
3 lines in the text field
@JennyShen

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Result
English Finnish
@JennyShen

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Perfect the UX in all languages,
even if UI looks imperfect in some.
Myself :)
“

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makeFit
Check if text fits. If it doesn’t, it makes
the text smaller.
@JennyShen
https://github.com/aaronbarker/makefit

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Research-
based
Design

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Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill USA, 2010
Pragmatic nature
Encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a
way to prepare for the future
Strong propensity to save and invest, thriftiness and
perseverance in achieving results
@JennyShen

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transavia.com
@JennyShen

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Money as a
motivator and
de-motivator

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The systematic overview has to be
given in order to proceed. This is also
reflected by the law system.
Details are equally important to create
certainty that a certain topic or project
is well-thought-out.
Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill USA, 2010
“
@JennyShen

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booking page NL v.s. DE

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booking page NL v.s. DE

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Measure
Data

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High drop off on homepage
First clicks on help and website-related links
@JennyShen

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Assumptions
Ambiguity Lack of trust1 2

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Suggestions
German customers in rooster
Trust logos from trustshops.de
Customer reviews
Accepted payment methods
Short description about company in footer
@JennyShen

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Paragraph format is used almost
twice as much in Germany as
in the U.S.
Localization of Web Design: An Empirical Comparison of German, Japanese, and U.S.
Website Characteristics, Dianne Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith, Simon Fraser University
“
@JennyShen

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Research UI
Patterns

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Discover
is the new
Hamburger menu
Chinese Mobile App UI Trends, Dan Grover
@JennyShen
Chinese Mobile App UI Trends, Dan Grover

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mozilla.com
@JennyShen

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mozilla.com.cn
@JennyShen

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“
@JennyShen
Typing Chinese takes a long time and
finding the precise word isn’t easy.
Search sucks, so optimize for browsing.
— Bram Pitoyo
Design strategist at Mozilla

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Verify
Personas

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Local User
Testing

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Remote User Testing
quantity, on-demand, flexible
@JennyShen

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Germany, Spain and worldwide
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,
Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam
Worldwide
@JennyShen

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Don’ts

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Google
Translate

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stuffdutchpeoplelike.com

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Idealize
Designs

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#firstworldproblems

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Stereotype
Personas

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Resources
Cultures and Organizations: Software of the
Mind by Geert Hofsted, Gert Jan Hofsted,
Michael Minkov
Global UX: Design and Research in a Connected World
by Whitney Quesenbery and Daniel Szuc
geert-hofstede.com
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible
Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer

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BONUS
@JennyShen

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Create a team of
diverse talents.
@JennyShen

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Strength lies in differences,
not in similarities.
— Stephen R. Covey
Educator and Author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"
“

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Be open-minded and curious
in other cultures and habits.
@JennyShen

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Travel

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jenny@jennyshen.ca
@jennyshen
Questions?

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#25-27: https://medium.com/lux-team/responsive-navigation-for-73-languages-83eec588db28
#55-56: dangrover.com/blog/2014/12/01/chinese-mobile-app-ui-trends.html
#59-60: Bram Pitoyo, Cluttered, UX Malaysia
#73-74: https://dribbble.com/shots/2182953-Business-Cards-for-in-Asia
#76-77: https://dribbble.com/shots/2552705-Sling-Music-Sharing-App
#83: http://deadline.com/2015/02/bruce-lee-biopic-shannon-lee-enter-the-dragon-1201382941
#90: https://myhealingtime.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/thank-you-in-any-language.jpg
Credits