Did you know that cultural differences play a part in web design too?
Far too often, we’re too immersed in the English-speaking world and we kind of forget there’s a whole population in China (and maybe even Taiwan and Japan and Korea) who don’t live and breathe English.
Interesting interviews with some Chinese web designers have unearthed some clues about how users in China think about and use websites.
1. They’re heavy on Flash. Make it VERY.
2. Chinese users prefer to click than use the keyboard. Chinese characters aren’t like the letters we use on our regular QWERTY keyboard. Theirs is a lot more complicated so anything that helps them surf faster is best.
3. They love graphics. Any sort, any type. Web design is more like art than a user-centred experience. It’s their canvas.
4. Convincing clients to accept website designs depended on rapport (“guanxi”) and trust built in a relationship. Talking about ROI and scientific methodology to website design? These are “Western” ideas.
5. The trend is going toward user generated content, similar to those of Youtube.
6. Buying things online is also another upward trend. Shopping has always been less political than say, blogging about something against the government. When in doubt, start selling stuff via ecommerce.
7. Design education has still a long way to go. Most designers know how to use software to design a website but they don’t understand the science behind website design. They need to understand the logic of design rather than just design for design sake.
Our China Client Picked Us Because…
I still remember the China client whom we designed a website for about 3 years ago. In fact, this week marks one of the biggest milestones for their company as the Shandong Blue Sail Plastic and Rubber are going public on the China Stock Exchange.
They could have used their own Chinese web designer. But one thing they said struck us as a true compliment.
They said they wanted a design that wasn’t Chinese-looking! They wanted an international website.
We took it to mean that they wanted to look totally credible. They wanted something clean, clear and visibly different and yet a design that was easily timeless.
Many Chinese websites try a bit too hard to obfuscate due to a lack of real information.
For this China client, we worked to unearth the true substance of the company which meant a lot of information digging, a lot of questions and a lot of care put into creating a truly trustworthy global company.
These days, if you run a business, you must be a global company with an international outlook – one that is classic and timeless and yes, one that creates instant trust in your company the moment your prospects land on your website. Too often, designers forget the one thing that means business – creating trust online with a website.
What You Can Learn From This
The article summed up that Chinese designers still have a lot to learn when it comes to truly functional design.
And I add, the logic of design is a must as design is not art. Nic often says that if one wanted to indulge in art, just indulge in it. Don’t use clients’ projects are your own personal art playground. That’s unethical.
Admittedly, Chinese designers do create highly visual websites. Yes, they do grab the audience.
But after that, what happens?
Can the audience navigate properly around the website? Can they find the info they came to find?
This is where the logic of design comes in. This is where information architecture comes in. This is where a website that is well planned out makes it effortless for the user to find what he came to find.
This is the true test of a website.
And website ROI? The article says that Chinese designers considered this a “Western” thing which is shocking because I don’t think website data tracking is a Western thing considering that everyone would like to know how their website performs.
And this is where Chinese designers do not quite understand the difference between Art and Web Design.