Acta Informatica Pragensia 2020, 9(2), 132-153 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aip.1374895

Culturally Sensitive Website Elements and Features: A Cross-National Comparison of Websites from Selected Countries

Radim Cermak ORCID...
Department of System Analysis, Faculty of Informatics and Statistics, Prague University of Economics and Business, W. Churchill Sq. 1938/4, 130 67 Prague 3, Czech Republic

The goal of this case study is to compare websites from 9 different countries―Austria, Chile, China, Japan, Latvia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the US and the Czech Republic―and, based on this comparison, to provide the missing linking of website elements with cultural dimensions for better cultural adaptation of web content. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions were used for the selection of countries for this study. To examine the influence of culture on websites, countries with extreme values of cultural dimensions were selected. An important benefit is that this study takes into account all of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, including the latest one (indulgence vs restraint). For each country 50 websites were selected from areas that most closely reflect the culture of the country. The main focus was on the selection of an appropriate representative sample of websites for each state. A total of 450 pages was analyzed. For each website, 42 web elements determined as the most important were monitored. Moreover, the presence of various types of social networks and five general characteristics were monitored. The findings show that culture influences website design. The results of this study reveal a connection between website elements and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. For example, headlines are important for countries with a high value of individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and a low value of power distance and indulgence. Newsletters are associated with a high value of indulgence and a low value of long-term orientation and search option with a high value of power distance. Overall, about 20 culturally sensitive website elements were identified. The study also provides a comprehensive overview of website characteristics for each of the selected countries. For UX designers, web localization specialists, academicians, and web developers, this study provides an original view into culturally sensitive website elements and features.

Keywords: Culture, E-commerce, Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Human-computer interaction, Webdesign, Website

Received: May 29, 2020; Revised: September 17, 2020; Accepted: September 21, 2020; Prepublished online: September 21, 2020; Published: December 31, 2020  Show citation

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Cermak, R. (2020). Culturally Sensitive Website Elements and Features: A Cross-National Comparison of Websites from Selected Countries. Acta Informatica Pragensia, 9(2), 132-153. doi: 10.18267/j.aip.137
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