User Experience (UX) design has become fundamental to creating successful digital products and services. However, catering to diverse cultural and linguistic contexts becomes crucial as the global market expands. UX design allows companies to provide the best business solutions while still being sensitive to users’ needs and culture. Every product or service must go through UX design localization to be adopted in other countries. This is where UX localization comes into play. In this article, we’ll explore what UX localization is, how to localize user experience, and delve into strategies to improve UI&UX design services.
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What is UX Localization?
UX localization refers to adapting a digital product’s user experience to suit specific target audiences’ preferences, cultural nuances, and languages. Localization aims to make the product feel as natural and familiar to users in different regions as it does to the original target audience. This involves translating text and considering layout, imagery, colors, symbols, and even functionality to ensure the product resonates with local users.
Localization user experience
Localization and user experience are closely linked. Users won’t use your app or website if they can’t read it. This is what we already knew.
Localization refers to adapting content to a new culture or location.
Properly localized user experience content should feel like it was designed and created just for them, regardless of their language. Your solution should feel as though it was designed just for you.
What is not user experience design?
Let’s first address the differences between international and domestic user experience. UX is not:
- Marketing or UX specialists are the only ones responsible.
- Vertical slices of the entire product or something you do after building your app.
- Visual design is the art of making things look beautiful. Poor UX can be a problem with aesthetically pleasing products.
- Feelings you have while using your app. UX designers use user research, data, and analysis to make decisions before making any.
- Web development. UX design is the ability to anticipate how users will interact with the code.
- Not just for users in your country. UX can have international implications as language and culture play an essential role in how users think and act.
Why is Localization User Experience Important?
Localized user experience will improve many factors in your product or service:
- Cultural Relevance: Different cultures have varying preferences, values, and sensitivities. A design element that works well in one culture might need to be more appropriate or clear in another. UX localization ensures the design is culturally relevant and avoids misunderstandings or offense.
- User Engagement: A localized user experience creates a sense of belonging and connection for users. Users who feel that a product understands their culture and language are likelier to engage with it, increasing user satisfaction and retention.
- Market Expansion: By localized user experience product’s, you tap into new markets and demographics. This increases your potential user base and can lead to higher revenue and brand recognition.
UX and UI in app localization
Let’s examine UX, UI, and usability differences to position things correctly for the next section. Only UX encompasses users’ impressions, feelings, and likes when using your app.
This doesn’t mean that usability and UI are not necessary. The UI must provide access to useful or interesting functionality. It must be easy to use, clear, simple, intuitive, and user-friendly.
UX is a combination of the quality of the user interface and usability. Then, there are additional aspects, such as using colors, symbols, and backgrounds for app localization. This includes direction indications (how to navigate to a specific page). This is the short version:
Usability – How easy your app is to use. This refers to how a user can use your app in a particular situation to accomplish a goal efficiently and effectively. These five principles are learnability, efficiency, and memorability.
The user interface: All the elements that the user sees or touches. This includes the touch-sensitive controls and their layout on a screen. These allow the user to interact with the app’s contents and features. Also, the layout, navigation, white space, visual hierarchy, buttons, copy, and other UI elements are all part of the UI.
User Experience: This is the sum of all the user’s emotions, perceptions, and many interrelated cognitions about the app. It results from the usability level, quality, and appeal of the features and content.
Localizing the UX ensures that international users perceive your app the same way you do domestic customers.
Best practices for UX localization
With these considerations in mind, UX designers need to support localization early in the design process. Here are best practices for UX localization
1-Font
Apps are full of text. It’s how users navigate apps and identify symbols or icons for the first time. And it is how we communicate.
It is essential to choose the right font for your UX. Users must quickly identify and understand the text on any screen size and resolution.
When localizing your UX, you will need to select a font compatible with multiple languages. This includes characters with different spacing requirements and characters.
2-Left to Right
However, not all languages can be written or read in the left-to-right format. UX designers must support left-to-right flow text. This doesn’t mean just your font choice.
The entire layout and navigation of the UI will change when you flip the language direction. The icons and menus on the right may need to be moved to the left or vice versa.
3-Good UX Writing Practices
Localization is best done simply. Different languages translate differently so it is better to keep it simple. UX experts can ensure that your language is easily translated into multiple languages.
4-Internationalizing the App
Another UX element that should be considered is the user interface. This is often the first-place international users will notice localization user experience issues. It must therefore be designed with internationalization best practices in mind.
5-Put table labels above fields
If input boxes in your application allow users to enter information or choose from a menu of items, the label should be placed above the box and not to its left.
You can have more room to experiment with language changes by placing the label above it.
If the text was on the left and the translated word grew by 30%, you would need to move that box to the side to alter the layout.
6-Symbols and Colors
Did you know colors have different meanings depending on where they are used? One example is that the Japanese associate white with mourning, and many Asian countries associate red as a sign of good fortune.
It can be challenging to interpret symbols. Emoji can, for example, means different things in different locations. To ensure that your UX is appropriate for the target culture, it’s a good idea to speak with local experts.
7-Use Icons
Icons have evolved to represent different elements in a variety of languages.
Icons are instantly recognizable by users, making navigation effortless. What icon is “save?” Yes, it’s the same as it has always been!
Use icons for elements that do not require a label. This will reduce the need to translate and redesign when localizing.
8-HTML text elements flexibility
This section has a lot of information. Localizing your UI will present a challenge due to string length and word changes. This is why visual context was created to help translators see how their strings fit in the UI.
9-Avoid inline components
Inline components, such as dropdowns or input fields, can also cause localization issues. This is because many languages don’t follow the same word order. Reposition your UI components to accommodate the correct sentence structure when translating.
Strategies for Improving UX Localization:
Before beginning the localization process, conduct in-depth research on the target audience’s culture, language, and preferences. Understanding their habits, values, and expectations will guide your design decisions.
Be aware of cultural nuances and avoid using symbols, colors, or imagery that could be misinterpreted or considered offensive in the local culture. Working with local experts, such as translators and cultural consultants, can provide valuable insights and ensure language and cultural adaptation accuracy.
Some languages expand when translated, which can impact the layout of your design. Moreover, regular user testing with representatives from the target audience is essential. This helps identify issues, confusion, or inconsistencies early on and allows for adjustments before the product launch.
Consider incorporating personalization based on the user’s location, language, and cultural preferences to enhance the user experience.
Maintain consistency in design elements, user interface patterns, and user interactions across different language versions.
Even after launch, monitor user feedback and engagement metrics to identify further improvement areas. Localization is an ongoing process that requires adjustments based on user interactions and evolving cultural trends.
Conclusion
UX localization is critical in creating digital products that resonate with diverse global audiences. By understanding the cultural context, language nuances, and user preferences of different regions, you can create an inclusive and engaging user experience that transcends borders. By following the above-mentioned strategies and staying committed to continuous improvement, you can ensure that your product functions well and feels familiar and welcoming to users worldwide.
FAQ
What is design localization?
Design-stage localization provides a product or service designed with international markets in mind. This can include everything from choosing the right colors and images to using language that people in different cultures will understand.
What is an example of localization?
Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign is one of the best examples of localization. In the US, the bottles said Share a Coke with John, Sarah, or Bobby. In Ireland, they chose Irish names like Aoife and Oisín.
