Cultural Differences in Web Site Design

Let's face it, business websites are designed to reach wider audiences in different parts of the world. Going online is the easiest and one of the most effective ways to globalize. By developing websites, companies have a big chance to attract more visitors who may become their potential customers.This globalization and internationalization is called an essential part of this understanding is the diversity of world cultures. Of course, one of the best ways of doing this is to use the language of your market. This is essential because everyone speaks the universal language which is English.When applied to websites, the international market involves the use of different languages of your target audience in their favour. This process is called localization in web design and this is where the site translation tools prove very useful. Forrester Research, in their study of multilingual websites, found that Internet users are three times more likely to go a site and buy a product from a site in their mother tongue. Conditions must also be carefully studied for a better understanding of your target audience. An example is the basket used by most e-commerce sites in North America. Basket literally refers to a container that holds items purchased by people, but the term May confuse the Europeans who are used to racing with a basket and not a basket. The language is just one factor, though. Another aspect to consider in the Web site is the location buying habits of online users which vary by culture. Not everyone uses a credit card when you make online transactions like buying a product. May Americans to be used, but not the Germans and Chinese, among many other races. Germans use cash or money order while the Chinese prefer haggling. Colors are also important. They play an important role in a website design, but more than that, they mean different things to different cultures. Red, for example, means danger in North America while other cultures use the color green or black for the same goal. If black is mourning in Western culture, Asians use the color white. It is therefore vital that the colours are well chosen when creating international websites. Conversion of currency, weights and measures are essential. This is to provide comfort to your target audience especially when shopping online. You do not want to use a calculator, you say? Otherwise, you will not lose your visitor. But with an automatic conversion on your site, your visitors can easily know the accurate information they need. Finally, being sensitive to your audience and their values may go a long way in building confidence and trust in your site and the construction of favourable business for relations with customers. Although culture in North America in May as their informal greetings, web designers must research on those used in other cultures in order to avoid offending your visitors. The Japanese, for example, use official message of congratulations that usually the name of the person addressed while the Europeans have their own way.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/graphic-design-articles/cultural-differences-in-web-site-design-394627.html
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