Arne Kittler, Fork Unstable Media, Hamburg
Brand Web Globalization balanced
by User Experience
A pragmatic approach to address intercultural differences in global
brand website projects.

Web Globalization:
The entirety of a company‘s activities in creating and
maintaining its global websites
John Yunker

Best Practice Web Globalization
How? Why?
Central Core Team Cost Savings
Central Tech Platform Consistency
Global Templates Quality
Modular Master Approach Comparability
p
Various Setups for L10n Synergies
High level of S
f Standardisation

Top 20 Global Websites use Global Templates
Top 20 Global Websites according to Yunker, J. (2008): The Web Globalization Report Card

Global Template: Example NIVEA

Users around the world are not equal!
Image: http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/galleryfiles/8818/people.jpg

Local Users
Standardization
The N t G
Th Next Generation of W b Gl b li ti
ti f Web Globalization

User
Local Users Experience
Standardization
The N t G
Th Next Generation of W b Gl b li ti
ti f Web Globalization

Web Globalization teams need applicable insights

Web Globalization balanced by User Experience
Typical sections & contents of brand websites
Different local UX demands?
No! Yes!
Standardize! Can patterns or rules be applied?
No! Y !
Yes!
Local Modular
Developments Internationalization
€$₤¥

How do we get there?
e p a y U esea c
Exemplary UX research
Deduced l
D d d learnings
i
Growing collection of and
Growing collection of patterns
patterns and strategies
p xxx g
Output f
O format?
?

First Research Findings and Recommendations
Lab study of Chinese websites Expert analysis of German
for European automotive brands
p and Chinese NIVEA brand
websites

„Empty“ Layout:
„Empty
Nothing to say?
More background
about brand needed
Homepage
Modular Internationalization ecommended
Mod la Inte nationali ation recommended

European models
affect identification
C
Chinese models seen
ese ode s see
critical, too
Imagery
Modular Internationalization recommended

B d ith h
Bandwith-heavy content
t t
Modular Internationalization recommended
OECD Broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, by technology, June 2008
40 Graphik über Verbreitung
Broadband international
Fibre/LA
N
35 Cable
30
Broadband penetration
oadba d pe e a o
DSL
differs strongly!
OECDAv
erage
25
Recommendation: Modular
20 OECD average
15
10
5
0
Source: OECD

Do you know this man?

Fun, Games, Entertainment
Local development recommended

User P ti i ti and S i l M di
U Participation d Social Media
Local development recommended
i.e. write Blogs, upload own
video content etc.
i.e. participate in social
networks
Forrester‘s Social Technology Profile Tool: www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html

U
User P ti i ti and S i l M di
Participation d Social Media
Local development recommended
Forrester‘s Social Technology Profile Tool: www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html

Local Developments:
Chances to Benefit from Global Approach
Technological l tf
T h l i l platform t enable complex l
to bl l local
l
developments
Infrastructure to allow countries sharing of local
g
developments
Provide styleguides, materials, etc.

Wrapup
A h lth b l
healthy balance of standardisation and l
f t d di ti d locally
ll
appropriate UX is a main success factor for
future Web Globalization projects.
We need more insights on specific UX demands
around the world and methods to turn them into
information that is applicable.
This is an ongoing task – and can only be solved
collaboratively!
ll b ti l !

Mille grazie!
arne@fork.de