Adhering to International and Culture-related Usability Guidelines: A Basis for Developing Localized User-friendly Websites

Abstract

Modern websites provide multiple forms of information such as images, text, audio, video, and different ways of accessing them. As the use of website becomes a global phenomenon, international usability guidelines are provided in order to enhance user experience. A major challenge lies in the lack of research data on the preferences of localized users. Without such data, many websites will be created that may not serve the needs of an intended user group, especially in a multi-cultural society. This will amount to a waste of time and resources. This paper describes web-design and usability guidelines and explains their importance to practice. It discusses why, when, and how these guidelines are applied in designing a responsive and easy-to-use website for any setting of choice. It emphasizes that, in addition to applying international usability standards and guidelines, website designers and owners should pay attention to culture-related usability preferences in order to develop localized and user-friendly websites. The paper highlights important features of websites that must be given priority in the design process. It draws attention to the need for an iterating process for usability testing of websites in order to improve their functions as information systems that serve the purpose of the owner and the needs of the users. The paper suggests more studies to be carried out with local website users, especially in Africa and the developing nations of the world, in order to develop usability guidelines that include the cultural preferences of the users.

Keywords: Usability testing, heuristics, websites, interactivity, culture-related usability, localized websites, user-friendly websites