Designing-Internationalization and Culture

Software products are often designed with international customers in mind and it is common knowledge that products are localized with one or more specific regions in mind. What often isn't as well known is that matching the language and geography is merely the starting point for this work as most regions also have specific market expectations. Some are obvious and well-documented but many are subtle, non-explicit cultural norms which must also be observed. Attention to international markets and customer cultures can happen at any point during the product development cycle, but when it happens could make or break the product's launch and ultimate success. Ideally, planning for these potential pitfalls should happen during the design process, so as to maximize cultural fit. Realistically, this often doesn't happen, but if at least marketing doesn't take heed, the results can be disastrous. This course will explore many of the well-known issues, looking at numerous case studies. We will also discuss ways to anticipate and correct many of these problems, often even before they happen.