UX for Application Localization: Developer's Guide

Original author: Fred Vollert
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We will delve into the different definitions of UX, analyze all the possible problems with UX during localization and find out how one little thing can derail the entire experience of user interaction with your application.

Translated to Alconost

If you have not yet come across the term “user experience” or “user experience” (UX), it's time to find out about it, especially considering its huge impact on the success of localizing the application.

As a rule, the experience of user interaction with the application - this is what determines the success or failure of the application. Everything is simple. If the value of your application is not obvious to users, using it does not bring them joy, or they do not derive at least some benefit from it for themselves, they will not use it. Your program will be useless, and all the days spent writing and testing it will be wasted.

To what extent is the experience of using the application up to you? Perhaps a lot more than you think, and when it comes to localizing the application - even more.

Why have you never encountered UX


I know what you are thinking right now: since UX is so important, why does it pay so little attention to software development compared to writing code? There are two main reasons:

  1. Often UX is mistakenly regarded as the responsibility of solely marketing or UX specialists , a certain emotional zone for engaging users “across the wall”. You may receive instructions or requests to design or change the interface in a certain way, but no one will ever explain to you why this is necessary.
  2. If you dig deeper into the comprehensive concept of UX, that it is “to do everything so that the user has a good time in the application”, many have only a vague idea of ​​what UX is , and they can not explain to others even that little that they themselves understand .

Even major software vendors have problems with UX


Here is a UX definition from one of the largest software manufacturers on the planet (yes, Microsoft, I look at you):

“The process of interaction between a computer user and an audiovisual presentation of a set of computer programs. It is important to consider that it is only about what the user perceives, and not about everything that is presented to him. ”

As if in a restaurant, instead of delicious, delicious sushi, cold dead fish was served. We need a better way to delight users with the localized versions of your application, build solid databases of loyal users in different countries, and support the flow of subscriptions (if this implies your business model).

Common UX localization issues


Before moving on to a more useful UX definition, check out a few options on how poor application localization can degrade your user experience:

  • the text in a foreign language is longer or shorter than the original , which is why the layout looks strange or simply wrong;
  • processing of variables generates grammatical errors, which is why localized strings look ridiculous for native speakers of the language in which the application is localized;
  • the smallest font sizes are acceptable for the source language (the one in which the original version of the application was created), but make the text in other languages ​​unreadable;
  • localization for languages ​​with different directions of writing ( from right to left and from left to right ) makes users heterogeneous impressions or simply confuses them.

These examples of problems with UX relate to the technical aspects of application localization, that is, directly to you as a developer. However, there are many more potential UX problems (see below) that will affect you as you manage further application localization cycles, when sending text strings for translation and working with product managers or marketing colleagues to prepare your application for new markets and cultures .

Start as you are going to continue


If you intend to improve the user experience with localized versions of your application, you need to understand what to strive for. So let's try a different UX definition to get a better start. This time from Nielsen Norman Group.

“All aspects of the interaction of the end user with the company, its services and products. The first requirement for an exemplary interaction experience is to precisely meet the needs of the user without bothering or imposing on him. The following is the simplicity and grace with which the possession and use of the product brings joy. Real experience of interaction involves much more than satisfying the needs of users or providing them with formal capabilities. In order to offer a high-quality user interaction experience with company offers, design and development, marketing, graphic and industrial design and interface design must seamlessly interact. ”

But this is already inspiring. Largely because one of the authors of this definition is Don Norman, who invented the term “user experience”. The second author from the Nielsen-Norman couple is Jacob Nielsen, who rethought the usability of sites in 1999 in his book Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity (in the Russian translation, the book was published under the title "Web Design: The Book of Jacob Nielsen" by " Symbol Plus ”, 2007).

UX, UI and usability in application localization


To correctly approach the issue, let's see how the experience of interaction (UX), user interface (UI) and usability (usability) differ. Only one of these three concepts - the experience of interaction - covers the whole range of impressions, sensations, acceptance or disapproval that users experience when using your application. But this does not mean that the other two concepts are not important.

The user interface (UI) should provide access to the functionality that is needed or interesting to the user. The application and its user interface should also be convenient to use (usability) - that is, to be simple and clear, pleasant to the eye, easy to learn and effective (in the sense of the minimum required number of clicks, clicks and other control gestures) in providing the user with what he wants. Interaction experience combines the quality of the interface, the level of usability, as well as other aspects. In case of application localization, for example, this includes the correct use of colors, symbols, backgrounds and direction indicators (navigation on a localized page).

What is your UX role as a developer in localizing the application?


While marketers and product managers usually devote more time to creating requirements for application localization due to cultural differences, you most likely will also have to participate in the process outside of your development environment. For example, to oversee the translation, send content (text, graphics, audio) to translators, make editorial changes and make ready-made localized versions of the content available in the application.

Honestly, it also helps to pay attention to how not only linguistic, but also cultural factors can affect the UX localized version of your application. In this case, you will not be surprised when marketing asks you to replace the background image in the Japanese version with another one with brighter colors and the effect of sunlight, because taking into account cultural characteristics, this will more accurately meet the expectations of Japanese users (yes, it really is!).

Do not make users think about your localized application


Steve Krug wrote his book Don't Make Me Think to help people think like usability experts (this is an important part of creating interaction experiences), even if they work in a different role, such as a developer. His ideas related to web applications, but can naturally apply to mobile applications. Here are some of his helpful suggestions:

  • don't make people think. Usually people do not want to strain to get what they need from the application;
  • Applications should be understandable at a glance, from the first screen and as they continue to be used;
  • Do not waste user time. Keep your texts short and friendly, shorten the paths on screens and menus;
  • the back button is good. If people act at random, do not leave them at a disadvantage. Let them easily come back.

If you localize the application, your constant attention is necessary. The interface and usability of your application was probably created in accordance with your own cultural norms. However, what is natural for one culture may look strange or unacceptable for another. This may affect the experience of using a localized version of your application, for example, in such cases:

  • translate terms , especially short phrases or single words, for buttons. The shorter the phrase, the more important it is to accurately convey the intent behind it in translation or equivalent for localization;
  • forms to fill out by the user . Some cultures (for example, Anglo-Saxon) often provide three fields for entering a username: first name, middle name and last name. In other cultures (for example, in Asian countries), the norm is two fields. If you insist on three, you will “make them think,” and this is a bad tactic from the point of view of interaction experience.

Internationalization and user experience


The above ideas for improving UX are more effective when integrated into the application from the very beginning instead of being embedded as you develop. The same approach is applicable at the internationalization stage, which precedes the localization of the application in other languages.

Internationalization is the process of separating the maximum amount of user-visible content from the application to ensure its independence from the language. Separated user content can be localized in different languages ​​according to the demands of marketing or end users.

Internationalization can cover graphic and audio content, as well as any other aspect of the application, due not only to language, but also to culture. Platforms such as Android and iOS provide fairly simple content separation and provide convenient features for automatically processing localized formats for numbers, dates, and quantities. On the other hand, while offering significant assistance in building a good UX, internationalization, like the interface and usability, is just part of the experience of interacting with a localized application.

Practical aspects: word length and font size


Texts translated into foreign languages ​​will be shorter or longer than the text in your language. In some cases, the difference can be dramatic . For example, the word user from English to German is usually translated as benutzer (twice as many characters), and in French as utilisateur (almost three times as many characters). Obviously, an attempt to squeeze all these additional letters into the space reserved for the short version of the word will cause problems with display and layout, usability and, accordingly, UX.

The smallest font sizes that normally work (only) for languages ​​like English can make the characters of other, more complex languages ​​unreadable (漢字, for example). In addition, line heights in English or similar European languages ​​may not be sufficient for Chinese and other languages ​​that use higher lines. Whatever the font size and line height, the characters of any language should be readable. To do this, you may need to increase the minimum sizes in all language versions or, possibly, use a different layout for different localizations (see below).

Double length, pre- and pseudo-localization: problem identification


Word length problems associated with an increase in volume, as in the English, German, and French examples in this example, can be tracked using the double-length version of the separated lines and its display. So too long texts will be much more noticeable. And for localizations in which the volume of texts is reduced (from English to Chinese, for example), the services of a native speaker who can view the screens and determine where too much empty space has formed and which fields, buttons or layout elements need to be changed will be absolutely necessary .

If your application runs on a computer or through a browser using the keyboard, pay attention to the hotkey combinations that may not be available on keyboards in other languages. Perhaps it is better to use the function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.), which are usually available on all keyboards. Or, avoid tying functionality to hotkeys initially from the design stage.

How to deal with layout problems in application localization


The localized version of the application may become unsightly even when using automatic optimization (like Auto Layout in iOS). The above examples explain how this can happen. Layout, in which everything was smooth and beautiful in the original language, may be distorted when trying to display foreign-language equivalents. An attempt to standardize a set of sizes for a language with medium spatial parameters may also not work, especially if it is possible to double or double the length of the text.

The best or compromise solution for each case may be different. Most likely, you will be able to pick up reasonable UI- and UX-solutions for different localizations, sorting through different possibilities and attracting native speakers. Among these features may include:

  • the use of drop-down menus to hide the difference in length (this can lead to the addition of clicks or touches, which reduces usability);
  • dynamic layout, displaying longer texts in two lines instead of one (this can lead to visual contradictions between different localizations);
  • software layout differences used in accordance with the localization language or locale (combination of country and language). This can solve the problem with a different number of fields for entering a name in different localizations (see "Do not make users think ..." above).

Right to left and left to right


For languages ​​that are read from right to left, such as Arabic and Hebrew, not only the direction of the text is changed in comparison with, for example, English, but also the representation of time and the sequence of actions. Speakers of these languages ​​can expect to see the trash on the left side of the screen rather than on the right, because it is there that the action to delete something naturally ends. The situation is similar with the buttons “back” (located on the left for the English language) and “forward” (on the right for the English language), which you need to arrange the other way around: left “forward” and right “back”. The time on the screens for such languages ​​is also read from right to left. Also, look at the icons to indicate features such as text alignment. They will also need to be read from right to left,

Application interfaces, whose logic and experience interacting in left-to-right languages ​​are highly dependent on horizontal movement, may need to be rethought and redesigned for languages ​​that are read from right to left to provide the same UX quality. This is another aspect that is better to think through at the very beginning of the design than to make changes to an existing application. Sometimes you will have no choice. But, if you are lucky enough to create a new application design from scratch, you can take into account all these aspects for different localizations that you are supposed to need. You can also avoid this problem by initially laying down vertical navigation for which the direction of the text does not matter.

UX problems with incomplete localization


At this point, it is probably already obvious to you that localizations can be partial or incomplete for various reasons. Unfortunately, there are almost no partial localizations providing a decent level of interaction experience.

Incomplete translation


Mixing phrases in different languages ​​runs counter to the prevailing preferences of native speakers who buy and use a product in their own language. When mixing languages ​​with different directions of the text, everything can turn out even worse.

Incomplete cultural localization


Inappropriate colors and symbols can also destroy the experience of interacting in a localized version if the original elements are used without due attention and care for users.

Incomplete localization of formats


If you have not changed the separators of digits in numbers from dots to commas, for example, by localizing the English source into French, such an interface will look strange for a French-speaking user. And this mistake is difficult to forgive, since automatic formatting methods are built into different operating systems. However, to use some variables, a more thorough approach may be necessary to make sure that grammatical structures are correctly transferred to localized versions.

Perhaps the only exception for incomplete localization may be the localization of only promotional information about the application for use in an application store, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play. This trick allows marketers to track how many native speakers download the application, which helps to assess the sales potential for a particular local market. However, this approach can only be temporary; subsequently, you will have to adequately localize the product or return to the full original version so as not to disappoint users and not attract negative reviews.

Translation: context and glossaries


The English word run can be translated into Spanish in a hundred different ways. If we are talking about a localized application with a map, run means “run from point A to point B”, but in the case of a home automation application, run can mean “run the program”, as when setting an alarm or switching the house to night mode. The context in such cases is decisive, especially if there is only one correct translation, and there are many incorrect ones.

Notes and comments for translation attached to text strings help translators to choose the right option, while maintaining the UX level for the localized version. Useful information may include:

  • a thematic context such as characteristic features or concepts closely related to the word;
  • a grammatical context (for example, whether a word is a noun or a verb, etc.);
  • definition or alternative expression of a word;
  • specific use : how exactly is the word used in this case.

A translation glossary can also help maintain the proper level of UX in the localized version by providing a consistent translation of certain words, using brand names without translation, etc. Such glossaries should always be given for proofreading to native speakers before being put into general use.

Again, remember that translation sometimes involves more than just words, and make sure that cultural differences are properly addressed. On the Google homepage for English, for example, there’s the option I'm feeling lucky (for Russian, “I'm lucky”). In some cultures, luck is perceived differently, and the phrase should be replaced by “I rely on God” - to more accurately meet the expectations of native speakers.

conclusions


Localization is necessary to provide a good interaction experience for your application in international markets. But this is not just a translation of words. One of the most important qualities that you should develop as a developer to improve UX localized versions is empathy towards your users. This applies, for example, to the understanding that an insignificant, in your opinion, trifle can sometimes derail the entire experience of interaction of native speakers with your application. Combining efforts with fellow marketers and product managers, you can design and develop applications with effective code and excellent user experience, which increases sales, penetration and user loyalty wherever your localizations are implemented.


About the translator

Translation of the article was done in Alconost.

Alconost localizes applications, games and sites in 62 languages. Native translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, project managers 24/7, any format of string resources.

We also make advertising and educational videos - for sites that sell, image, advertising, educational, teasers, expliner, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.

Read more: alconost.com

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