From the course: Interaction Design for the Web

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International differences

International differences

From the course: Interaction Design for the Web

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International differences

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- Electrical plugs and outlet sockets differ all over the world. Two prongs or three, round or oblong. 110 volts or 220 volts. It's just one indication that what's normal to one group of people is strange and potentially frustrating, or even dangerous to other groups. If you're creating software interactions, you're likely to come across this problem, whether you mean to or not. Even if you think you're just developing for a domestic audience, consider how many different cultures there are in your country. People with different religions, customs, even different names for the same item. Here's an example. This map from popvssoda.com shows the distribution of the names that people give to carbonated soft drinks across the USA. See how there are strong regional differences? Now, imagine going to a strong soda-oriented area and asking for a pop. So think how crazy it gets when you start considering cultural differences from around the world. I live in America, but I've got lots of…

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