Cross-Cultural Design for IT Products and Services

With the increase of globalization of business and industry, IT products and services are often produced and marketed across geographical cultural boundaries without adequate consideration of culture. There is a high probability that IT products and services developed in one country may not be effectively used in another country, which may hinder their market penetration, sales, and use.

Based on research and practice, Cross-Cultural Design for IT Products and Services provides a resource for human factors engineers, designers, and marketing professionals who define and develop IT products and services for the global market. With its extensive review of cross-cultural theory and cross-cultural design literature, it is also a resource for those who are interested in research on cross-cultural design. The book presents an overview of the dimensions of culture that have implications for human information processing and affective response. It examines a set of user interface design guidelines grouped into five areas: language, use of color, icons and images, navigation, and information architecture. Also, it addresses physical ergonomics and anthropometry issues. The text translates theory and guidelines into a practical methodology and discusses how to integrate methods of cross-cultural design into a standard engineering process for product development.

The authors review and reappraise theories, models, principles, and techniques for design of IT products and services that will be marketed globally. They provide guidelines for user interface design across North American, Asian, and other cultures. Applying the guidelines within the methodological framework provided will enhance the usability and effectiveness of the IT product or service, and contribute to greater user satisfaction, increased productivity, higher sales, and lower product support costs.