User Interface (UI) Design Issues for the Multilingual Users: A Case Study

TL;DR

This study investigates UI design challenges for multilingual users, using usability tests on the BBC website to identify issues and suggest the need for improved translated versions.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into multilingual UI design issues through usability testing and statistical analysis, highlighting the superiority of English versions over translated ones.

Findings

English versions had better usability results

Multilingual UI design issues affect user experience

Deeper study needed for translated website usability

Abstract

A multitude of web and desktop applications are now widely available in diverse human languages. This paper explores the design issues that are specifically relevant for multilingual users. It reports on the continued studies of Information System (IS) issues and users' behaviour across cross-cultural and transnational boundaries. Taking the BBC website as a model that is internationally recognised, usability tests were conducted to compare different versions of the website. The dependant variables derived from the questionnaire were analysed (via descriptive statistics) to elucidate the multilingual UI design issues. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), five de-correlated variables were identified which were then used for hypotheses tests. A modified version of Herzberg's Hygiene-motivational Theory about the Workplace was applied to assess the components used in the website. Overall, it was concluded that the English versions of the website gave superior usability results and this implies the need for deeper study of the problems in usability of the translated versions.