Tutorial 10

Global Interface Design

Tony Fernandes, Claris Corporation

Sunday, May 7

Objective

This tutorial addresses the issue of designing user interfaces for the global marketplace. Participants are introduced to implications of the world's cultural diversity on user interface design and how usability can suffer when these challenges are not addressed. A set of rules is presented to aid designers in finding design problems and usability issues.

Content

This tutorial examines issues of interface design as they apply to the issue of localizing user interfaces. An introduction to the differences in cultures and countries is given in order for participants to understand how behaviors, tastes, and taboos vary. These differences are then related to components of GUI interfaces, feature design, and content design. Topics explored include cultural biases in existing software products, color issues, and the exploration of global versus local designs. National issues such as date, time, and address formats are covered in addition to cultural issues such as work habits, taboos, and varying values. Photographs of people, places, and things illustrate relevant issues. Tricks of the trade, general considerations, and suggestions for real-world design decisions are presented.

Audience

This intermediate-level tutorial is intended for interface designers and managers who produce domestic products or for designers of world-ready solutions. Participants at all levels, however, will benefit from the discussion.

Presentation

Lecture, multimedia

Instructor

Tony Fernandes is themanager of the Interface Design Group at Claris Corporation, responsible for designing Windows and Macintosh interfaces for all Claris products. He participated in the design of such products as ClarisImpact; winner ofthe Mac product of the year awards in Germany, France, and Australia; as well as ClarisDraw and Amazing Animation. Prior to Claris, he was involved in designing Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows.

Keith Instone / instone@acm.org / 95-01-05