A Cultural – Oriented Usability Heuristics Proposal Jaime Díaz Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso jaime_diaz@ieee.org Cristian Rusu Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso cristian.rusu@ucv.cl J. Antonio Pow-Sang Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú japowsang@pucp.pe ABSTRACT The massive use of internet provides information access all over the world. It represents a potential benefit for everyone, but also brings disadvantages when it comes to deliver the information in an effective manner. Intercultural aspects have to be explicitly considered when developing web applications. This paper proposes a set of usability heuristics that includes cultural aspects. Preliminary validation proves its potential when evaluating web sites. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: User Interfaces – Evaluation/methodology, User-centered design, Graphical user interfaces. General Terms Design, Experimentation, Human Factors. Keywords Human–Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interculturality, Cross-Cultural, Usability Heuristics, Web Interfaces. 1. INTRODUCTION The importance of Internet has been a big issue in the last years. In Latin America, some countries such as Colombia and Chile have considered mass use of Internet as a government policy [1]. Guaranteed universal internet access, should be priority for all states. Each state must develop a concrete and effective policy allowing a wide availability, accessibility and affordability of internet for all the population classes. The problem is that people differ across regional, linguistic and country boundaries and user requirements are strongly influenced by their local cultural perspective. Cross-cultural usability is about making websites an effective means of communication between a global website owner and a local user. But, the influence of culture on usability is a controversial issue in the field of human- computer interaction. Those that are in support of accommodating culture into the design of user interfaces do not seem to agree on whether to incorporate objective culture, subjective culture or both into user interface design. The proposal set out in this paper, documents an abstraction of the design process focusing on cultural issues when evaluating websites through usability heuristics. It provides a set of usability heuristics in which a variety of user-based and expert-based experiments was developed and considers the culture as a core. This paper presents initial evidence in support of our argument that interfaces that display characteristics relevant to specific sides of four of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions increase usability for all users. 2. USABILITY AND INTERCULTURALITY 2.1 Usability in interactive software systems The concept of usability and its definitions are varied, but all of them are under the slogan “easy to learn, easy to use.” The ISO rule 9241-11[5] described it as: “Measure by which a product can be used by a set of determined users, to get specific objectives with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a context of specified use.” Usability evaluations allow to detect specific problems, which make difficult the interaction of the users with the products, that may be corrected lately [6]. One of the most used usability evaluation method is the heuristic evaluation [7]. The method proposed by Jacob Nielsen is based on the evaluation of the software product by experts, based on a set of criteria, named usability heuristics. 2.2 Interculturality Interculturality is a process of interrelationship that comes from the reflection of the acknowledgement of diversity and the respect for differences. Interculturality proposes respect for another being, for his/her diversity, by his/her difference, this is, clearly understanding that the other is different culturally speaking, which in turn, allows individuals become a part of the social network of two societies in contact, a different coexistence without prejudice or vertical relationships [8]. One of the design fundamentals of a web product is that, in general, should be directed to the mainstream. A website freed up in the web becomes in a global product, this is, intercultural. Basic points when designing an intercultural website are: content, color, its considerations, and images [9]. Geert Hofstede realized a study that may be the most comprehending about the cultural influence in the values that people possess during their activities [10] [11]. From first outcomes and lately additions, Hofstede developed a model that identifies the principal four dimensions in order to help to differentiate between cultures: Power distance, Individualism, Masculinity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Then he added a fifth dimension based on Confucian dynamism: Long-term orientation. A sixth dimension applies to Indulgence and Restrain. It is considered that these six dimensions of Hofstede also correspond with other religious, cultural and national paradigms (Table I). Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Conference’10, Month 1–2, 2010, City, State, Country. Copyright 2010 ACM 1-58113-000-0/00/0010 …$15.00. Silvana Roncagliolo Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso silvana@ucv.cl