This study investigates the impact of cultural and user factors on website satisfaction using a standardized design with localized language adaptations. Through a case study of a multilingual international aid organization, the research analyzes user satisfaction across different language and development levels, revealing significant variations in perceptions and satisfaction scores. Key findings indicate that search functionality is crucial for improving user satisfaction, with notable differences between language groups and economic development levels.

1. An Examination of
Development Level and Language Effects on
User Satisfaction with a Website Using a
Standardized Design and Localized LanguageStandardized Design and Localized Language
G. Russell Merz, Ph.D., Professor, Eastern Michigan
University, and Research Director, Foresee Results
Silvina Diaz, Client Services Team Lead, Foresee Results
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2. Presentation Agenda
• Introduction
– Background to the Study
– Literature Review
– Research Questions and Objectives
• Methodology
– Website Description
2
– Website Description
– Sampling
– Questionnaire
– Measurement and Path Models
• Analysis Plan and Findings
– Modeling Results Across Cultural Groups
– Change Over Time and Across User Profiles
• Implications, Conclusions and Limitations

3. Background to the Study: Cross
Cultural Growth in Web Usage
• Top Languages Used on the Internet
3

4. Background to the Study: Regional
Growth in Web Usage
• Internet Usage Across World Regions
4

5. Literature Review: Culture, Users and
Website Design Decisions
Research Area Issues Authors
Website Usability Designing web pages to enhance
interactivity and user friendliness
across cultures
Badre 2000;
Barber and Badre 2001
Nantel and Glaser (2008)
Website
Characteristics and
Design Preferences
Preferences for particular design
elements; differentiation of design
versus content; need for
localization in marketing,
communications and transaction
elements
Cyr and Trevor-Smith (2004)
Cyr, Bonanni, Bowes and
Ilsever 2005
Robbins and Stylianou
(2003)
Lituchy and Barra (2008)
Singh et al (2008)
Interaction of
Website Design and
Cultural Values
Use cultural value frameworks as
basis for website design;
emotional responses to website
Hermeking (2006)
Davis et al (2008)
• Along with the rapidly
growing use of the Internet,
researchers have
investigated a wide range
of issues concerned with
the intersection of
website design with user
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Cultural Values emotional responses to website
atmospherics for on-line retailer
reflect different cultural values
Cognitive Styles and
Website Perceptions
Web pages designed by
designers with similar cognitive
styles as the targeted audiences
are processed more easily
Dong and Lee (2008)
Faiola and Matei (2006)
Communication
Styles and Website
Design
Websites designed to
accommodate communications
styles within cultures work best.
Many websites reflect low-context
styles.
Wurtz (2005)
Hermeking (2006)
Website Satisfaction
Measurement
Examination of preferences
across Hofstede’s dimensions.
Relationship of some design
factors with sat and trust.
Simon (2001)
Cyr ( 2008)
Incorporating Culture
into Website Design
Normative process models for the
development of culturally
appropriate websites.
Jagne et al (2004)
Smith et al (2004)
website design with user
characteristics,
preferences and cultural
backgrounds.
• The research reviewed also
approached the topic from
many different
perspectives (e.g.,
usability, psychology,
cultural values, and
communications).

6. Literature Review: Culture, Users
and Website Design Decisions
• Among the many website design factors researched, two are particularly
germane to this study. First, Wϋrtz (2005) found evidence of distinct differences
in Website design and content tendencies across High Context versus Low
Context (Hall 1976, 2000) communication style cultures. Similar results were
reported by others (Cyr et al 2004; Hermeking 2006).
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7. Literature Review: Culture, Users
and Website Design Decisions
• Second, some limited research into the relationship between website design
characteristics, user satisfaction and loyalty has been reported.
– An early study by Simon (2001) used an experimental design across four branded
websites, four cultural groups and gender to test for differences in general website
perceptions, satisfaction and trust levels. His findings confirmed that differences
existed across cultural groups and genders, but since there was no control for
differences in actual website design and content features the results were equivocal.
– Cyr ( 2008) has reported research that examined the effects of three standardized
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– Cyr ( 2008) has reported research that examined the effects of three standardized
components of localized website design (navigation, visual and information)
characteristics and language on satisfaction, trust and loyalty of website users in
three different cultures. Her findings confirmed the basic structure of the model, but
left unanswered whether cultural differences across the samples or the nature of the
website localization caused the differences observed in the estimates.
• Key Conclusions from the Literature:
– Many of the previous studies examining cultural differences have only examined one
facet of culture—language. Economic factors have been left out the investigations to
date.
– Furthermore, no attempts to control for website design effects have been reported.
– Finally, user characteristics and goals are infrequently considered.

8. Research Questions and Analysis
Framework
This study addresses two unanswered questions: (1) To what extent do cultural
and user factors affect the perceptions of, evaluations about and intentions
toward a website that uses a standardized design with localized language
adaptation? And (2) how is managerial decision-making affected?
Cultural and User Factors
(Language, Economic Development, Goals, Preferences)
8
Perceptions of
Website
Experiences
Evaluations of
Website
Experiences
Current and
Future Website
Use“effects” “effects”
Scores or
Ratings
Path
Coefficients
Hypothesized
Influences
Possible
Measurement
Indicators
Standardized
Website
Design with
Localized
Language

9. Research Objectives
• The research objectives for this exploratory study are:
1. To evaluate the differences in perception, evaluation and future intention scores of a
standardized design / localized language website across six homogeneous groups of
website users as defined by language and development level;
2. To evaluate the group differences in the path coefficients of the website design elements
in predicting website user satisfaction; and
3. To evaluate the group differences in user goals and use patterns.
• The research reported is based on a case study approach that examines
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• The research reported is based on a case study approach that examines
cultural and user group differences for the website design strategy of a
single organization—a large International Aid organization.
– The choice of a single website allows for the control of website design effects.
– The subject website exists in many language versions—this study uses three language
versions—English, Spanish and French.
– Economic development level is defined by a classification system used by International
Aid that groups countries into two groups—Developed and Developing.
– The combination of language and development level resulted in six comparison groups.
– The overall design of the website is standardized in a manner consistent with a low-
context communication style, but the language is localized .

10. Methodology: Website Description
Site Characteristics:
The language based versions of the website use
the same platform as the English website. The
navigational tools, functionality, look and feel, etc.
are the same. Some of the content is ordered and
arranged differently, and has been translated into
different standard languages.
International Aid
International Aid
International Aid
International Aid
International Aid
Site’s Vision:
As International Aid’s official web portal, the official
website makes it easy for the public to get
information and services on the web.
Note: The design language is consistent with that
identified as “low-context” by Wϋrtz (2005) and
others (i.e., heavy textual content and low usage of
visual communication elements).
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International Aid
International Aid
International Aid
International Aid

11. Methodology: Website Description
Spanish and
French
Versions of
the website:
Note the
similarity of the
platform
across all
International AidInternational Aid
11
across all
three versions
of the website.
International AidInternational Aid

12. Vital Statistics
Start of Data Collection:
October 26th, 2007
(Multilingual: December 19th,
2008)
Survey Placement: throughout
the site (English, Spanish, and
French pages)
Reporting Period:
Aggregate: January to December
Methodology: Questionnaires and
Sampling
The surveys were administered via a random
intercept “pop-up survey.” The questionnaire for
each language group website was translated
from the English version and back translated by
the agency managing the website.
International Aid
12
Aggregate: January to December
2009
Surveys Completed: 67,278
English: 50,453
Spanish: 11,804
French: 5,021
Response Rate: 22%
Sampling Percentage: 5%
Loyalty Factor: 4 pages [the
number of pages a visitor needs to view
in order to be eligible to receive the
survey.]
Survey Shown Ineligible Period:
90 days
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International Aid

13. Methodology: Measurement Model
The questionnaire used in this study consisted of 30 items measuring 12 hypothetical constructs. In the
different language versions 7 constructs were used to capture various perceived characteristics of the
website. These characteristics are hypothesized predictors of website satisfaction, and satisfaction is
conceived as a predictor of four likelihood measures of future attitudes or behaviors (improve perception,
primary resource, make a recommendation and likelihood to return to the website).
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International Aid

14. Methodology:
Hypothesized Path Model
Website Design
Elements
Overall Satisfaction Future Behaviors
Functionality
Content
+
+
Perception of
International Aid
+
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Recommend
To Others
Use as Primary
Resource
Image
Look and Feel
Customer
Satisfaction
Index (CSI)
Navigation
Site Performance
Search
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Return to
Website
+
+

15. Analysis Plan
• As the data was collected, satisfaction models were estimated
monthly for each test group using a latent variable partial least
squares (LV-PLS) algorithm. The estimates were used to:
– Calculate performance scores for the various website experience
components in the measurement models; and
– Estimate path coefficients of each experience component onto website
satisfaction
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satisfaction
• A comparison was conducted to determine the differences across
the six language and development groups for:
– Website experience scores (“perceived performance”)
– Path coefficients (“relative importance for improving CSI”)
– The stability of scores and coefficients over time
– Key website visitor profiles and usage patterns
• Finally, the “strategic decision matrices” for each group were
compared, and the managerial implications assessed.

16. Findings:
Aggregate Model Summary (2009)
January to December 2009
Elements Score
Impact on
Sat
Customer
Satisfaction
Impact on
Future
Behavior Future Behaviors Score
Content 76 0.8 4.4 Perception 67
Functionality 73 1.0 3.9 Primary Resource 72
Image 73 1.2 4.2 Recommend 76
Look and Feel 72 1.0 3.2 Return 80
Navigation 66 0.8 68297
Search 67 2.0
Site Performance 74 0.4
67
Number of
respondents:
Strategic Decision Matrix
4
3
2
3
4
1
5 Rank order of effects
16
•During 2009 the overall satisfaction score
for International Aid was 67 with Search
and Navigation receiving the lowest scores.
•Search, due to its large impact on
satisfaction was the top priority element.
•The analysis suggests that changes in the
search experiences of website users will
improves website satisfaction.
•Respondents are more likely to return and
recommend the site than to use it as their
primary resource or improve their perception
of the organization after visiting the site.
•During 2009 the overall satisfaction score
for International Aid was 67 with Search
and Navigation receiving the lowest scores.
•Search, due to its large impact on
satisfaction was the top priority element.
•The analysis suggests that changes in the
search experiences of website users will
improves website satisfaction.
•Respondents are more likely to return and
recommend the site than to use it as their
primary resource or improve their perception
of the organization after visiting the site.
90% Conf. Interval +/- 0.3
Content
76, 0.8
Functionality
73, 1
Image
73, 1.2
Look and Feel
72, 1
Navigation
66, 0.8
Search
67, 2
Site Performance
74, 0.4
61
71
0.2 1.2 2.2
IMPACT
SCORE
STATUS QUO REQUIRED MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE
MONITOR TOP PRIORITY
Key:
Position of each bubble indicates its score and impact
Size of each bubble also indicates the relative size of impact
HighLow
High
Low

17. Findings:
Model Results by Language
•During 2009, the
Spanish group was the
most satisfied, while the
English and French
groups have lower
scores (66 and 65,
respectively).
•Despite rank order
•During 2009, the
Spanish group was the
most satisfied, while the
English and French
groups have lower
scores (66 and 65,
respectively).
•Despite rank order
English
Spanish
Elements Score
Impact
on Sat
Customer
Satisfaction
Impact on
Future
Behavior Future Behaviors Score
Content 76 0.7 4.3 Perception 66
Functionality 73 1.0 3.8 Primary Resource 70
Image 73 1.2 4.2 Recommend 75
Look and Feel 72 1.1 3.1 Return 79
Navigation 66 0.8 50453
Search 66 1.9
Site Performance 74 0.4
66
Number of
respondents:
Impact on Customer
Impact on
Future
6 4
4 3
2 2
3 3
5 4
1 1
7 5
Rank order of language effects
compared to aggregate model
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•Despite rank order
differences in how these
groups judged most
experiences on the
International Aid
website, one similarity
was observed during
2009—Search had
consistently the largest
effect on customer
satisfaction.
•Despite rank order
differences in how these
groups judged most
experiences on the
International Aid
website, one similarity
was observed during
2009—Search had
consistently the largest
effect on customer
satisfaction.
French
Elements Score
Impact on
Sat
Customer
Satisfaction
Future
Behavior Future Behaviors Score
Content 77 0.8 4.7 Perception 70
Functionality 74 0.8 4.2 Primary Resource 79
Image 75 1.0 4.2 Recommend 81
Look and Feel 72 1.0 3.3 Return 85
Navigation 68 0.6 11804
Search 69 2.3
Site Performance 75 0.4
69
Number of
respondents:
Elements Score
Impact on
Sat
Customer
Satisfaction
Impact on
Future
Behavior Future Behaviors Score
Content 75 0.8 4.3 Perception 67
Functionality 74 0.6 4.2 Primary Resource 65
Image 72 1.0 4.0 Recommend 76
Look and Feel 71 0.9 3.1 Return 81
Navigation 65 0.5 5021
Search 66 2.4
Site Performance 72 0.4
65
Number of
respondents:
3 4
3 3
2 2
2 3
4 4
1 1
5 5
4 4
5 3
2 2
3 3
6 4
1 1
7 5

18. Findings: User Groups by Development
Type
Developed Country
Developing Country
Elements Score
Impact on
Sat
Customer
Satisfaction
Impact on
Future
Behavior Future Behaviors Score
Content 75 0.7 4.3 Perception 61
Functionality 71 1.2 3.6 Primary Resource 69
Image 71 1.3 4.1 Recommend 73
Look and Feel 70 1.1 2.9 Return 80
Navigation 63 1.0 14059
Search 62 1.9
Site Performance 74 0.5
63
Number of
respondents:
6 4
3 3
2 2
4 3
5 4
1 1
7 5 Rank order of development level
effects compared to aggregate
model
Developing Country
Developing countries have a higher level of satisfaction than Developed countries (69 and 63,
respectively.) They also show a 10 point higher score for perception.
Both groups scored Navigation and Search with the lowest scores but Search has the dominant effect
on customer satisfaction.
Developing countries have a higher level of satisfaction than Developed countries (69 and 63,
respectively.) They also show a 10 point higher score for perception.
Both groups scored Navigation and Search with the lowest scores but Search has the dominant effect
on customer satisfaction.
Elements Score
Impact on
Sat
Customer
Satisfaction
Impact on
Future
Behavior Future Behaviors Score
Content 76 0.9 4.3 Perception 71
Functionality 74 0.8 4.1 Primary Resource 74
Image 74 1.1 4.1 Recommend 78
Look and Feel 72 1.0 3.4 Return 80
Navigation 68 0.7 24902
Search 69 2.1
Site Performance 74 0.4
69
Number of
respondents:
4 4
5 3
2 2
3 3
6 4
1 1
7 5
model
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19. Findings: Experience Score Differences
Across Groups (ANOVA)
When models were run for each of the six language and development level combination, somewhat greater
variation in experience scores became apparent.
The overall score differences across the six groups were significantly different (p<0.0001). Generally the
French/Developing group was the lowest scoring group, while the Spanish/Developing group was the
highest scoring group.
When models were run for each of the six language and development level combination, somewhat greater
variation in experience scores became apparent.
The overall score differences across the six groups were significantly different (p<0.0001). Generally the
French/Developing group was the lowest scoring group, while the Spanish/Developing group was the
highest scoring group.
19

20. Findings: Mean Score Stability over
Time
20
An examination of the score stability over time shows that some groups have stable score levels while
other groups display greater variation.
An examination of the score stability over time shows that some groups have stable score levels while
other groups display greater variation.

21. Findings: Path Coefficient Stability
over Time
21
Similar to scores over time, an examination of the path coefficient stability over time shows that some
groups have stable score levels while other groups display greater variation.
Similar to scores over time, an examination of the path coefficient stability over time shows that some
groups have stable score levels while other groups display greater variation.

22. Findings: Variation Across Time
To evaluate the similarity of the scores
and path coefficients over time the
coefficient of variation for each
element score and path coefficient
was calculated.
The analysis revealed that for both
French speaking respondents the
scores showed greater variation in
magnitude over time than other
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magnitude over time than other
groups. This indicates that the visitors
to the website tend to evaluate their
experiences more erratically than
other groups.
The variation in path coefficients
showed a clear pattern. The
French/Developed group showed
greater variation. In contrast, the
English/Developing group exhibited
more stable coefficients over time.
The variation can affect the
managerial usefulness of the findings.

23. Content
74, 0.6 Functionality
72, 1.2
Image
70, 1.2
Look and Feel
68, 1.2
Navigation
61, 0.7
Search
61, 2
Site Performance
73, 0.3
56
66
76
0.0 1.0 2.0
IMPACT
SCORE
Content
73, 0.9
Functionality
70, 0.9
Image
69, 1
Look and Feel
67, 1.3
Navigation
62, 0.7
Search
62, 2
Site Performance
73, 0.2
57
67
77
0.0 1.0 2.0
IMPACT
SCORE
Content
75, 0.6
Functionality
71, 1.2
Image
71, 1.3
Look and Feel
70, 1.1
Navigation
63, 1 Search
62, 1.9
Site Performance
74, 0.5
57
67
77
0.2 1.2
IMPACT
SCORE
English Spanish French
Developed
N=12216 N=672 N=1023
Findings: Without Search the Models
Provide Conflicting Strategy Guidance
X X X
Content
76, 1.1
Functionality
74, 0.4
Image
73, 1
Look and Feel
72, 0.8
Navigation
68, 0.5
Search
68, 2.5
Site Performance
73, 0.3
63
73
0.1 1.1 2.1
IMPACT
SCORE
Content
77, 0.8
Functionality
75, 0.8
Image
75, 1
Look and Feel
72, 0.9
Navigation
68, 0.6
Search
70, 2.3
Site Performance
76, 0.5
63
73
0.2 1.2 2.2
IMPACT
SCORE
Content
76, 0.8
Functionality
74, 0.9
Image
74, 1.2
Look and Feel
72, 1
Navigation
67, 0.8
Search
69, 2
Site Performance
74, 0.4
62
72
0.2 1.2 2.2
IMPACT
SCORE
Developed
Developing
N=12216 N=672 N=1023
N=16326 N=6252 N=1956
X X X
When Search is dropped from the model the importance axis shifts to
the left. This changes the managerial guidance for website improvement
initiatives that can be attributed to the variation in scores and effects.
When Search is dropped from the model the importance axis shifts to
the left. This changes the managerial guidance for website improvement
initiatives that can be attributed to the variation in scores and effects.
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24. Findings: User Group Profiles
“What best describes your role in development?”
15% Gap
11% Gap
13% Gap
24
The roles of the website
users showed similar
patterns with most users
working on development
projects, doing research or
conducting studies.
Despite the similarities
there are some sizable
gaps.

25. Findings: User Group Profiles
“Which of the following best describes your
organization?”
15% Gap
The greatest percentage of
users across all groups is
from colleges/universities.
While the patterns appear
similar there are some
distinctions worth noting.
25

26. Findings: User Group Profiles
“What did you look for when visiting the site
today?”
12% Gap
13% Gap13% Gap
The type of information
sought by website visitors
tended to be similar across
most groups. Two large
gaps can be seen in the
patterns.
26

27. Findings: How Do User Group Profiles
Affect the Modeling Results?
The presence or absence of certain proportions
of users can affect the overall magnitude of the
customer satisfaction value. As the sample
composition changes over time, website
managers can expect variations in performance
scores and path coefficients to occur.
27

28. • Implications:
One managerial approach
proposed in the literature
(Jagne, et al, 2004) for
integrating cultural factors into
the website design strategy
envisions a four step procedure:
(1) Investigation
Implications for Website Design
Strategy
Source: Jainaba Jagne, Serengul Guven Smith, Elke Duncker, Paul Curzon, (2004) Cross-
Cultural Interface Design Strategy, Technical Report: IDC-TR-2004-006, (February)
(1) Investigation
(2) Translation
(3) Implementation
(4) Evaluation
The analysis presented in this
study represents an “evaluation”
example, but illustrates how
analysis can help inform the
“investigation” and “translation”
phases of the process as well.
28

29. Implications for Website Design
Strategy
• Conclusions:
– Illustrates how surveys of visitor experiences can be used to provide website
improvement guidance.
– When websites are used by multiple cultural groups they tend to visit the site for
different reasons, and “adaptation” by language translation alone may not sufficient.
– The findings clearly show that across cultures, website performance is judged
differently and the relative importance of website experiences on visitor satisfaction
is different as well.
29
is different as well.
– This poses a dilemma for the website designer-manager. What should be improved
to increase visitor satisfaction? The strategic decision matrices illustrate the need
for different improvement strategies across the populations involved.
– For websites with a single design/functionality platform, adaptation through language
translation, while relatively inexpensive to implement, may not be enough to
effectively communicate with culturally diverse populations.
• Limitations
– The study examined a single website platform, in a non-commercial setting.
– Future extensions of this study will investigate websites with many different target
populations, that use different design platforms, for commercial objectives.

30. Thank You, Any Questions?
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