Introduction - Cross-Cultural Human-Computer Interaction and User Experience Design - page 2

between cultures, which could be turned into usable design guidelines for the UX
community. The two groups were chosen, first, because one is a part of the Western
culture, and the other is a part of the Eastern culture. Previous literature showed
interesting differences related to HCI between these two groups. Second, the author
was able to conduct the research in these two groups according to the method presented
above, thanks to his direct access.
In our work we followed and expanded upon a body of previous research in the
field of cross-cultural research. In our view, however, only limited work has been
done in creating usable guidelines for cross-cultural UI design. We bring our insights
from our cross-cultural research and propose a set of design guidelines.
The present topic aims at analyzing HCI/UX following these main theses:

1. The UI is a means of sharing and interpreting information between sys-
tems. Our thoughts and actions are guided by intrinsic logic rules, supported
by the system of language and culture. Language provides an architecture
of the design space of HCI/UX. Linguistics and semiotics provides effec-
tive methods to solve problems in communication and interaction design.
These methods help define the users in their culture, rather than as culture-
independent agents. Moreover, each UI stands on a certain paradigm of
use which is not always apparent. The HCI ideology defines what relations
between users and objects can (or should) be made.
2. Every sign in HCI is cultural and therefore informational. The UI pro-
vides a lens for reading and writing cultural data. The user's native language
and culture determines his/her mentality, rationality, and the discourse in-
volved. By expressing in different systems of meaning (e.g., languages,
UIs), we accent different objects and experiences, which results in differ-
ent insights into the world we live in. When UIs take into account those
differences, they can promote both usability and cultural diversity.

The theoretical backbone of our work can be illustrated by the following concepts
and their relations: 1

Data - > Facts - > Thought/design - Picture of reality /ideology < - > Form/ design

< > < > < >

- Language /culture - Information - Language/UI - Interaction .

Data are factual information (Merriam-Webster, 2013a); facts are the existence
of states of affairs (Wittgenstein, 1922, p. 25). Out of the sensory data a person
receives, he or she interprets the world to make sense of it (“The world is the to-
tality of facts ” Ibid.). We are used to structure the interpreted data, or facts, in

relations that make sense to us. As Wittgenstein reminds us, “The logical picture of
the facts is the thought” (Ibid., p. 30). Logic comes from the Greek logos , which
stands for speech, word, and reason; it is the “controlling principle of the universe”

...

1 The relations are inspired by Hjelmslev (1961), and we use the following symbols: “-

> ” for determination,

“-” for constellation, “ < - > ” for interdependency.