subject: 3 Cultural Characteristics Affecting The Way People See Your Website [print this page] The cultural aspects of a website's audience will, or should, drastically affect the design of the website. This is according to most researchers in culture and communication, as well as plain old common sense. After all, culture influences just about every aspect of our lives, like what we eat, how we dress, or how we talk, so it makes perfect sense that it would affect the websites we look at and (most importantly) how we look at them. The following cultural variables are drawn from the work of Geert Hofstede, and Edward Hall and are specifically defined in the ways they affect website design.
High/low context: When we depend on factors other than language to communicate, such as who is speaking, where they are speaking, or how they are dressed when they are speaking, we call that high-context communication, because we rely highly on the context in which the communication takes place. Conversely, when we only use the language spoken or written, as in a courtroom or as found in a contract, we call that low-context communication because little in the context of the situation helps us communicate.
Cultures predominately high-context are typically Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern Cultures. Low-Context cultures are typically those in Western Europe and The US. Other cultural regions will fall somewhere along the middle of the spectrum.
Websites designed for high-context cultures often include a number of images, especially images associated with the ideas communicated on the website. What you'll usually find is that these images are culturally unique, meaning that they're really only understood by people within that culture. To Westerners, high-context websites look 'busy' and 'unorganized' but all of those icons, images, flashing banners and such add to the communication of someone from a high-context culture. For an example, look at the Coca Cola website made for China or Japan, and compare it to the site made for the US or Germany, which are low-context and contain very explicit explanations of icons, images and meanings. Often, US websites will allow the user to quickly find information and 'get down to business' without the 'distractions' of 'busy' images and such.
High/Low power-distance: Cultures will approach power differently. In some cultures its normal for people in a powerful position to be given special favors at the grocery store, around town, or on the street. This would be considered normal. Even in lieu of receiving special physical goods, those in powerful positions would at least be highly respected and afforded that respect in a number of ways, through bowing, by addressing the person by their station, etc.
A professor in Russia, for example, would be treated as someone with much power and esteem both on and off campus. In the US, meanwhile, I'm lucky if my students stay awake through a lecture, and they never pay attention to me when I see them in the grocery store. Russia is considered high-power distance while the US is low-power distance.
Websites designed for cultures expressing high-power distance will typically feature images and icons representing power: large buildings, finance, crests or shields, men in suits, etc. Conversely, designing for cultures with a lower-power distance will require expressions that feature a more democratic, everyone-is-equal message. Images would include people all at the same level wearing clothing that doesn't distinguish one as having more power than others. Men and women would both be featured, as would less business and structure and more images of family and expressions of equality.
Masculine/Feminine: These aspects reflect more than simply gender-related issues. Cultures which predominantly lean towards one over the other will display so in a number of ways, specifically through characteristics generally attributed as being either masculine or feminine. Masculine qualities include competition, vertical power structures, independence, technology, and expressions of finance or money. Feminine qualities include equality, horizontal power structures, collectivism, and expressions of nature.
Websites designed for cultures more predominantly feminine would display men and womenactually most everybodyas equals, and would include images of nature and would use colors associated with nature (greens, browns, etc.). Websites reflecting their predominantly feminine culture can be found from France and Scandinavian countries. Opposed to these qualities are examples of a masculine culture, exemplified in images of powersuch as men in business suitsor images associated with wealth or winning (or generally competitiveness). Colors would focus on cool blues, silvers, grays, reds and blacks. Websites found in Mexico often display these types of expressions.
The important part to remember is that culture is one of the single-most critical characteristics that determine how an audience views a website. So understanding how to take into account important cultural characteristics is essential to effective design.
