Overview
Definitions
- Localization: translation of a software interface and messages to another language plus adaptation of some formats (e.g. measures, dates and currency) plus adaptation to local cultures. Software localization is a complex process.
- Globalization: process of designing and developing applications that function for multiple cultures. Localization is the process of customizing your application for a given culture and locale. … So you can think of globalization as a strategic venue, where as localization is tactical.
General Considerations
- Think about time zones when scheduling meetings
- Remember that not everyone celebrates American holidays
- Don’t say “good morning” when it’s only morning for you 🙂
Project Considerations
- Make sure team itself has diversity
- Align with dev teams to understand how localization impacts the platform
- Engage the other countries in the design process. Their needs differ not only from what the U.S. needs, but also from each other. (We found this working with Australia and Belgium)
- Ensure that the future state is flexible enough to accommodate the different requirements, e.g. effective dates for regulatory changes or mandated changes, versioning, etc. based on country, region/state, facility/customer
Design Considerations
When designing the experience, and the interface, be mindful of every single aspect:
- Colors
- Iconography
- Fonts
- Interactions
- Animations
- Cross platform behaviors
Research & User Testing
- Don’t focus on just a specific language and culture (Western people tend to design for themselves without realizing it)
- Incorporate UX Research for a global customer base from day 1 (Don’t launch in the U.S. and then change for everyone else)
- 3 actionable from Nancy Douyon, User Experience Lead & Global Innovator at Uber
- Design a platform that provides 2+ underrepresented group checkpoints
- Turn assumptions into questions
- Test your learnings for marginalized communities in your immediate or primary markets