website usability in China - AHK Greater China

website usability in China Guideline for websites in China Beijing / 26th January 2010

Hi ! My Name is David

I work at web agency mediaman

Strong client relationships are the base of our success We accompany these key clients

Our services Ingredients for successful digital communication

Website Development

Online Marketing

Interactive Interfaces

// Strategic Planning

// Analysis & Optimization

Creative Concepts and

// Analysis & User Research

// Marketing Strategy

Development for:

// Information Architecture

// Search Engines

// Mobile Websites

// Web design & Development

(SEO & SEM)

// CMS & Technology Solutions

// E-mail Marketing

// Intranet, Portals, e-Commerce

// Viral campaigns & promotion

// Workshops/trainings

// Media Planning & Buying

// Multi-Touch

Staying on track to reach the destination

PRE-PHASE

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

PHASE 4

POST-PROJECT

WORKSHOP RESEARCH STRATEGY EG GY DEVELOPMENT TESTING TR TRACKING TRAINING

AGENDA

• Visual Communication • Web usability • The Chinese user • Localize for China • netCars 2009

4

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Text Image Motion

?

Message transfer between two or more parties

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

“Seeing as being the sum of sensing, selecting and perceiving.” Aldous Huxley

VISUAL COMMUNICATION Successful Visual Communication is, if my message - coded with visual elements - is received at the audience in the “right way.”

HOW ABOUT WEBSITES Visual communication + Information architecture + Interactive features

Web usability

?

WEB USABILITY

WEB USABILITY Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool (web) or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal.

WEB USABILITY •

Effectiveness How easy it is for users to accomplish basic tasks, after the first time they encounter the design?

•

Efficiency Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?

•

Satisfaction How pleasant is it to use the design?

•

Memorability When users return to the design, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?

•

Error How many errors do users make and how easily can they recover from the errors?

WEB USABILITY •

Effectiveness

•

Efficiency

•

Satisfaction

•

Memorability

•

Error

}

In order to measure and increase ease of use, we created web standards.

These standards are made for people to increase usability

WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE

PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS ACT RATIONAL

SOME BASIC HUMAN TRAITS ARE ENGRAINED IN OUR BRAIN

WEB USABILITY Human traits • We are born with them • We are culturally influenced during our childhood • We build new ones everyday

EXAMPLE // WEB USABILITY

Western

BABY

China


Western


Western


China

Every culture has its different traits.

Goal: make you aware of these traits

and use them consciously

?

WHO IS THE CHINESE USER

THE CHINESE USER

YU WEN language

culture

THE CHINESE USER // language Everyday a Chinese student learns several letters during early childhood • 40.000 Character / 3 - 8.000 are standard

Language shapes the mind!

THE CHINESE USER // language Mountain :: shan

RIGHT BRAIN

THE CHINESE USER // language Chinese language has 4 tones

ma

ma

ma

ma

RIGHT BRAIN

THE CHINESE USER // language

Chinese are right brain trained

LEFT BRAIN

RIGHT BRAIN

• • • • •

• • • • •

Focusing on words, Analytical Step by step work Good time tracking Listen what is said

focusing images, patterns Intuitive First whole, then detail No sense of time Listen how things are said

THE CHINESE USER // culture China has a long history and different philosophical influence • Confucius • Taoism • Buddhism

Several old philosophies shape daily life habits of Chinese citizens today.

THE CHINESE USER // culture YIN YANG

• Opposite • Everything is changing, nothing is fixed. Not even a contract!

THE CHINESE USER // culture Born equal vs. connected

WESTERN equal / individuals

CHINA connected / social

THE CHINESE USER // culture Mianzi (face)

THE CHINESE USER // demographics

IS

BIG!

THE CHINESE USER // demographics • Most internet users are living in coastal areas and major cities. • Most internet users are men, but the ratio is changing • Most internet users are young • Most rich people in China are only 30 – 40 years old

THE CHINESE USER // demographics Internet user age

million people

[2009 // Source: web2asia]

THE CHINESE USER // demographics Typical Chinese user • Younger than 25, man • Not married • Living in one of major cities • Study or works as a teacher or at office with average salary • Uses instant messaging rather than email • Visit sites for music and games

[2009 // Source: web2asia]

THE CHINESE USER // demographics Internet interest Online music Online news Instant message Email games blogs Online shopping e-payment stock

How to transfer our global image/message to China?

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA • What is my brand and what is my message? • Who is my target group? • What is my online goal? Page impression, online process, new client, ecommerce, HR, branding

• Who will decide? HQ vs. local office

UNDERSTAND YOUR CONSUMERS AND THEIR TRAITS!

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // content Get the message translated in the RIGHT way

ke-ke-ken-la

“Bite the wax candle”

k-kou-k-le

“Happiness in the mouth”

Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" was translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave", in Chinese.

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA • Content

• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Configuration


• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // content Higher Density of text

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // content Reduced content by using headlines

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // content

RE-NEW


• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // design • Colors // Chinese culture has different meaning of colors gold: premium color, red happiness, …

• Images // Chinese user like happy faces more colorful, less abstract, related to culture

• Logo // Chinese are visual Brand recognition is very important in the Chinese market.

• White space // “Too much white space feels empty!” The right amount of information: not to abstract, but not too packed

Trust is higher to western style looking websites







• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Portability

• Technology

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // realization Practical issues are important

• Financing the product • Get in contact • Find the next dealer • Taking action • Real time access

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // realization

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // realization


• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // consistency Consistency • Web standards: Logo, breadcrumb, search box, language, home navigation

• Guidance through the website is more important in China • Chinese user like to follow (typical traits)

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // consistency




• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Portability

• Technology

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // authoring Who is responsible for your content translation • Web content is different then brochure content • Chinese language is different in every region someone from Hunan translates content in a different way than someone from Beijing

• Make sure content is updated on time


• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Portability

• Technology

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // interaction Entertainment: Chinese user tend to like more animation

SURVEY // netCars 2009 Importance ortance of multimedia elements elements

unimportant

very important


• Authoring

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // interaction Social Validation • User listen to others / check reviews, check 3rd party websites • Blogs/ forums, to discuss topics with others • More online friends than real friends • People tend to follow the crowd, without examining the merits of a particular thing. Trust? • Ecommerce: search engines are popular to find product reviews Bandwagon effect: “If many believe so, it is so."

SURVEY // netCars 2009 Transmission of personal details

NetCars: N = 942 (D = 324, USA = 311, China 307) Buyers of passenger cars in the last 2 years or people intending to buy a passenger car in the next 2 years


• Authoring/wording

• Design

• Animation

• Realization

• Interaction

• Consistency

• Configuration

LOCALIZE FOR CHINA // configuration Chinese tend to pick predefined solutions, maybe because of • Responsibility and decision making issue • Loosing face issue • Lack of knowledge

REMEMBER: human traits are engrained in our brain

SURVEY // netCars 2009 Importance of selection options

unimportant

very important

How can we measure all these factors?

USABILITY TESTS

netCars 2009 // mediaman survey

netCars 2009 New or used cars?


netCars 2009 The importance of the internet for car buying


netCars 2009 Decisions to buy a car in multi-person households

NetCars: N = 742 (D = 260, USA = 227, China 255) Buyers of passenger cars in the last 2 years or people intending to buy a passenger car in the next 2 years who used or will use the internet, not living alone

netCars 2009 Internet interests by new car customer

NetCars: N = 469 (D = 98, USA = 157, China = 214) Buyers of passenger cars in the last 2 years or people intending to buy a passenger car in the next 2 years who used or will use the internet, buyers of new cars

netCars 2009 General preferences: common features and differences Colourful

Quiet

Informative

Entertaining

Fun

Serious

Animated

Subdued NetCars: N = 942 (D = 324, USA = 311, China 307) Buyers of passenger cars in the last 2 years or people intending to buy a passenger car in the next 2 years

Final conclusion:

USER and

Care about the understand him/her.

Become aware of his/her traits and use them consciously.

We always judge the “bad” websites in China. How about the past in Germany….

The first German chamber website

The first apple website 1997

Thank you!

David Hiebaum // mediaman Beijing [email protected]

© 2010 mediaman