While presenting our Influencing Strategy by Design workshop overseas earlier this year, Tom Chi and I compiled a short list of factors that can influence Web application design decisions in specific local markets:
- Connection speed (broadband penetration)
- Index size (scale of local language content available)
- Task behaviors (bargaining in shopping)
- Infrastructure (transportation, electricity)
- Language characteristics (left to right, right to left, alphabetic vs. non, length)
- Desktop penetration
- Mobile penetration
- Literacy rates
- Demographics (age skew)
- Cultural symbols (icon semiotics)
- Visual conventions (color associations)
- Work conventions
- Cultural dimensions
- Expected visual density