This topic has been on my mind as of late, and I wanted to record my findings regarding international usability. Here are some points that might come in handy when preparing a site for the international audience:
International Ecommerce
- Ensure your website allows users to switch between languages. Most of the time, a link in the native language or a flag icon is best. I would recommend using the flag icon over the link since 785 million adults worldwide are illiterate (CIA, World Factbook, July 2008).
- Make sure your website allows the user to view your products in different currencies. In the image below, an international retail site allows your users to change all the product prices from Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) to many other popular forms of currency as well as including different flags (from my previous point). However, they unfortunately only create 1 flag icon to represent an English speaking country. Ensure that you always include flags for the regions you serve, even some of those regions speak the same language.
- Have an international shipping / ordering page. This page should explain to the user how to order internationally. There are websites out there that ship internationally but since they do not inform users whether they do or not, users are left in the dark with their own questions. On top of that, create an FAQ on how the international shipping works. A lot of manufacturers / retailers do not have sophisticated ecommerce shopping platforms because their budgets do not allow for it or the platform does not support international currencies. These retailers must then place the orders manually so some of them might take the orders by email. Creating a step by step guide of how to do so helps users understand the process easily. Also, make sure to describe to the user exactly how much international shipping might be as well as any customs, duties, or taxes that the user might accrue before placing their order. The last thing a user wants is a $50 shipping fee with a $200 customs fee, and a $10 bank transfer fee for a $40 tea set they bought overseas. Lastly, let users know that you might not be able to ship certain products to certain countries due to differing country laws. Prescription medicines are allowed in some countries but might be illegal in others.
International Web Forms
When creating forms that would work for most overseas countries, your forms should use the following labels:
Family Name – “Last Name” or “Surname” is not generally understood and can cause confusion. For instance, in Vietnam and China, your last name is said first and your first name is said last.
Given Name – In place of “First Name”
Address 1
Address 2
City
State / Province
Postal Code
Country
Phone – Some international retailers require phone numbers to be able to look up shipping prices.
This by far is not the end all be all, but will likely be least confusing to international users.
International Cultural Differences
Emoticons
In Japan, Western emoticons are viewed upon as not usable because they have to tilt their heads to actually see the “smiles.” Therefore, here are the differences in emoticons between western countries and Japan.
Image and more information can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/0812smile.html
Colors
Red in America is used mostly as a color of warning . However, red is interpreted differently by different cultures.
China – symbol of celebration and luck, used in many cultural ceremonies that range from funerals to weddings.
India – color of purity (used in wedding outfits).
United States – Christmas color when combined with green, Valentines Day when combined with pink, indicates stop (danger) at traffic lights.
Eastern cultures - signifies joy when combined with white.
More on other colors and what they mean to different cultures: http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2005/12/meaning-of-colors-color-symbolism.html
Other Elements to Keep In Mind
- Words in some languages do not always exist in others. For example, in Asian countries, a dress is called a “one-piece” and to denote that is “one size fits all,” it is labeled as “free size.”
- Nomenclatures are different. For instance, a “shopping cart” is a United States specific term. In Europe, a “basket” seems to be more widely used.
- Keep in mind that certain countries have slower internet access speeds than we do in the United States. Therefore, technologies which take time to download such as Flash should be kept to a minimum.
So, before you decide to merely translate your website, keep in mind your visitors and think about their differences. What are the differences in culture, color, and metaphors? What are their access speeds? What other elements must I be aware of such as certain government internet restrictions, taxes and duties? Keeping all these differences in mind will ensure that you will design a website catered to your audiences’ needs.
