Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The Firefly mobile phone, designed for children.
Cultural considerations
Cultural backgrounds and population stereotypes can influence the way in which an
audience interacts with a product or service. When designing for particular markets
such as mainland Europe or the USA, certain simple factors may influence your
design decisions. An example of this is a basic electrical switch. In the UK, a switch
tends to be flicked down to turn something on and up to turn it off, whereas in the
USA the opposite is the case.
Imagine designing a safety system in which a shut-off button had to be included. In
an emergency situation people do what they have always instinctively done when
switching something off. If your switch is designed for the wrong market and turns on
instead of switching off, this could have disastrous results. It is for these reasons that
it is important to know whether your audience is global or local. Particular solutions
may lend themselves better to one audience than another.
