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Culture and the Web

Culture and the Web. Does Culture make a Difference in Web Usability? Presentation to MRIA-Ottawa – May 18, 2006. Today’s Presentation. Inspired by testing many government websites across Canada and around the world among different cultural groups

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Culture and the Web

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  1. Culture and the Web Does Culture make a Difference in Web Usability? Presentation to MRIA-Ottawa – May 18, 2006

  2. Today’s Presentation • Inspired by testing many government websites across Canada and around the world among different cultural groups • An informal observation: perception, usability, and satisfaction on the same websites were strikingly different among different groups....does one’s culture explain this? • Case Studies; then you be the judge!

  3. “Culture” is broader than Ethnic Group ....the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group - Webster’s Dictionary Age groups and gender also form “cultures”

  4. Learned Patterned Mutually constructed Shared The Most Insidious Characteristic of Culture… Internalized Arbitrary Symbolic

  5. Culture is internalized. Your culture surrounds you. You take it for granted.

  6. So, is that an issue when designing (or testing) websites? Let’s see.

  7. Canadian Government Web Presence Abroad Some Context: • More than 250 Canadian Government websites targeting foreign audiences, leading to: • an inconsistent GoC presence and message • a difficult user experience • multiple sources of similar content • major difficulties in content management

  8. Qualitative Research • Some cautions: • Locally-engaged staff at missions cannot • be considered ‘typical’, and exhibit traits of both Canadian and local cultures • Canada-based staff prone to dominate mixed discussion groups (if allowed) • Groups moderated in English or French, so many locally engaged dealing in second language • Large-post bias (except GTMLA) • Standard limitations on qualitative research

  9. Some Usability Issues Consistent Across Groups

  10. Some Usability Issues Consistent Across Groups Right bar/left bar navigation is confusing – Users don’t (easily) read what’s on the right Multiple buttons for similar tasks Canada Wordmark and CLF provide security

  11. Multiple Experience and Interpretations of Same Sites (1) • Group #1 : • Easy to read. Easy to find info with left bar navigation. Complete most tasks in 3-4 clicks. Very easy to use site. • Also, liked Canadian imagery, red on white, felt ‘at home’ • “Not too busy” • Group 1: English Canadian • Group #2: • More difficulty in finding information sought (same info). • Felt ‘restrained’ by all buttons on left side. • Viewed ‘red on white’ has “aggressive” and “difficult to read” • “Somewhat boring” • Group 2: Latin/Italian Origin

  12. Multiple Experience and Interpretations of Same Sites (2) • Group #1 : • Easy to navigate and find what you need. Clear choices. • Canada is inclusive. Diverse. • It’s clean. Clear. • Colorful – maybe too much so. • Group 1: Anglo – Saxons (Northern Europe, US, Canada) • Group #2: • Technologically backward (no flash, XML, etc.) • Too many useless buttons • Boring. White • Photos are tacky. Passé. • Group 2: Most groups

  13. Can we agree on Best Practice? • Group #1 : • Clean, clear. Uncluttered • Very easy to find what your looking for. • Soothing • Conservative. Credible. • Rotating pictures (flash) communicates innovativeness. • Group 1: US, Germany, France, Canada-based staff • Group #2: • BORING! • Austere, stern, unfriendly • Where do I go? Where would I start? • Group 2: Italy, Latin America

  14. Do different cultures perform tasks differently? • Example Journeys: • Find information on Pierre Elliott Trudeau for my history class; • Find available subsidies for artists; • Find export financing for arts and culture.

  15. Two Approaches • Group 1: • Type in keywords into search bar • Seek match on first page • Click on closest match • Evaluate • Group 2: • Look for closest match to keyword in left hand navigation column • Click on closest match • Click on closest match again • Click back, forth and circle until found.

  16. Two Approaches • Group 1: Youth Aged 14-18 • Type in keywords into search bar • Seek match on first page • Click on closest match • Evaluate • Group 2: Adults Aged 30+ • Look for closest match to keyword in left hand navigation column • Click on closest match • Click on closest match again • Click back and forth. • Evaluate Explanations Please?

  17. Do different cultures look at a site differently? We observed no major deviation from the “F” pattern across any cultures (for languages reading left-to-right) Source: Nielsen, Jakob http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

  18. Bringing it all Together…. • Every individual interacts with a website through his/her own ‘cultural lenses’. • Remember, ethnicity is only one dimension of culture. Age, gender, and social group are just examples of other cultural ‘groups’.

  19. Culture appears to have less influence..... • in requiring ease of use, few clicks, and increasing demands for website performance • in how a website is scanned (F-pattern, or mirror image) • in aversion to too many options, choices, buttons or places to go – everyone appears to like simplicity

  20. Where Culture and Usability Intersect Some aspects of web design and usability are more ‘culturally sensitive’ than others: • use and mix of colour (or ‘color’ if I’m addressing a US audience) • spatial orientation and use of white space (clean vs. busy) • text per page and text vs. pictures • use of movement (e.g. flash images) Overall, user friendliness starts by “feeling at home”.

  21. The Web Designers’ Dilemma - At Home or Just Visiting? The “Home Away from Home” • Understand which aspects of ‘your’ culture appeal to your audience, and which are different • Communicate clearly that the visitor is visiting through CLF/brand • Communicate your message using local cultural cues – make the user “feel at home”

  22. Practically speaking…some tips • Above all, remember you internalize your culture! • Don’t overreact to cultural differences. Your audience is also expecting a “different” cultural experience on your site. • Untangle global and local content by creating a clear framework and permitting design flexibility within it • Maintain single authoritative sources for content, then adapt for targeted audience. Don’t let the cart lead the horse. • Test cultural assumptions during the design phase. Remember the cultural variable during the usability testing phase. Ask about culture...it’s not taboo!

  23. Recommended reading and references • Best Practices in Web Globalization – Lionbridge Technologies Inc. • Barber and Badre, “Culturability: The Merging of Culture and Usability” Available on www.antima.ca Click on “Innovative Approaches”

  24. Questions & Discussion

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