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Cultural Dimensions and Global Web Design: What? So What? Now What?

Full paper

 

This paper introduces dimensions of culture, as analyzed by Geert Hofstede in his classic study of cultures in organizations, and considers how they might affect user-interface designs.  Examples from the Web illustrate the cultural dimensions.

 

Reference:

Aaron Marcus and Asociates, Inc.
1144 65th Street, Suite F
Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
Tel: 510-601-0994, Ext. 19
Fax: 510-547-6125
Aaron@AmandA.com
www.Amanda.com
 

Power Distance (PD):

  • Access to information: highly (high PD) vs. less-highly (low PD) structured.

  • Hierarchies in mental models: tall vs. shallow.

  • Emphasis on the social and moral order (e.g., nationalism or religion) and its symbols: significant/frequent vs. minor/infrequent use.

  • Focus on expertise, authority, experts, certifications, official stamps, or logos: strong vs. weak.

  • Prominence given to leaders vs. citizens, customers, or employees.

  • Importance of security and restrictions or barriers to access: explicit, enforced, frequent restrictions on users vs. transparent, integrated, implicit freedom to roam.

  • Social roles used to organize information (e.g., a managers’ section obvious to all but sealed off from non-managers): frequent vs. infrequent

Individualism vs. Collectivism (IC):

  • Motivation based on personal achievement: maximized (expect the extra-ordinary) for individualist cultures vs. underplayed (in favor of group achievement) for collectivist cultures

  • Images of success: demonstrated through materialism and consumerism vs. achievement of social-political agendas.

  • Rhetorical style: controversial/argumentative speech and tolerance or encouragement of extreme claims vs. official slogans and subdued hyperbole and controversy

  • Prominence given youth and action vs. aged, experienced, wise leaders and states of being

  • Importance given individuals vs. products shown by themselves or with groups

  • Underlying sense of social morality: emphasis on truth vs. relationships

  • Emphasis on change: what is new and unique vs. tradition and history

  • Willingness to provide personal information vs. protection of personal data differentiating the individual from the group

Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS):

  • Traditional gender/family/age distinctions

  • Work tasks, roles, and mastery, with quick results for limited tasks

  • Navigation oriented to exploration and control

  • Attention gained through games and competitions

  • Graphics, sound, and animation used for utilitarian purposes

  • Feminine cultures would emphasize the following:

  • Blurring of gender roles

  • Mutual cooperation, exchange, and relational support (rather than mastery and winning)

  • Attention gained through poetry, visual aesthetics, and appeals to unifying values

Uncertainty Avoidance (UA):

  • Simplicity, with clear metaphors, limited choices, and restricted amounts of data
  • Attempts to reveal or forecast the results or implications of actions before users act
  • Navigation schemes intended to prevent users from becoming lost
  • Mental models and help systems that focus on reducing "user errors"
  • Redundant cues (color, typography, sound, etc.) to reduce ambiguity.
  • Low UA cultures would emphasize the reverse:
  • Complexity with maximal content and choices
  • Acceptance (even encouragement) of wandering and risk, with a stigma on “over-protection”
  • Less control of navigation; for example, links might open new windows leading away from the original location.
  • Mental models and help systems might focus on understanding underlying concepts rather than narrow tasks
  • Coding of color, typography, and sound to maximize information (multiple links without redundant cueing.)

Long- vs. Short-Term Time Orientation (LTO):

  • Content focused on practice and practical value

  • Relationships as a source of information and credibility

  • Patience in achieving results and goals

  • Low LTO countries would emphasize the contrary:

  • Content focused on truth and certainty of beliefs

  • Rules as a source of information and credibility

  • Desire for immediate results and achievement of goals

 

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