Why Does Your Web Developer Need to Have a Good Understanding of Different Cultures Around the World?

Your web developer needs to have a good understanding of various cultures across the globe for a number of reasons. The first and most important of these is that cross-cultural differences can impact the aesthetic appeal as well as the functionality of your business site. Differences in culture matter if you are moving to a global market with a product or service and you need to connect with audiences worldwide keeping local sensibilities in mind.

Culture spans not just history, but customers, values, secular and religious beliefs, laws and world views as well. It influences communication in myriad ways. Therefore, web developers need to conduct serious research into different cultures and align photos, images, music and content in accordance with it. If one is trying to build relationships and brand loyalty, websites must foster relationship building in the design.

• Differences in Linguistic Expressions

Cross-cultural design needs to incorporate differences in language and communication. Each language has different grammatical structures, vocabulary, connotations and idioms. Every culture comes with its own distinct music, scenes, graphics, images and other media. Favourite choices in different cultures even vary by age and other demographics. The focus of the web developer should be on understanding your user demographics.

• The Importance of Cultural Values

In case a culture values self reliance, independence and individualism, your website developer must consider factors like images, words focusing on individualistic themes. If cultures prize collectivism, groups take precedence. If family is important in a particular culture, your site should reflect familial values. Honouring holidays that are indicative of a particular culture and specific to it offer incredible appeal for viewers.

Everything from pictures to specific colours can communicate a lot about your brand. For example, white denotes marriage and celebration in the West, while Oriental cultures like China associate it with death and mourning. Red symbolises passion in western nations, celebration in China and purity in India.

• Watch Out for the Right Visuals

Visuals are critical for a web developer, too. They hold interest and make sites exceptional. Cultures can easily respond to images that communicate their values well. For example, the owl symbolises wisdom in the west, but it is considered a bad omen in the Indian culture. Some cultures even have languages reading left to right, so text may be justified to the right instead of the left, as usual. Address fields matter too.

Remember that not every country follows the practice of a street address, a city, state  or zip code. Measurement systems also vary across cultures. Metrics like currency values on your website therefore need to incorporate local concerns and be culture-specific. Even numbers can communicate different things. While Americans view number 13 as unlucky, in Italy, number 17 is considered unlucky.

Each brand that moves into an international market needs an expert web developer who carries out cross-cultural research and understands the value of cultural sensibilities while designing the site. Failing to invest in cross cultural research can cost your website loss of traffic. For any brand, attracting a wide number of viewers is the key to generating massive returns on every dollar of the website design and development spend.

After all, it is only when your business site generates traffic, and converts prospects to loyal customers that your brand will grow in stature and profits will rise! So web developers must understand the values and cultural differences that shape global web design practices, if they seek to succeed in powering your business and your brand.