Getting the business benefits

The International Standard ISO 9241-11 defines usability as the ‘extent to which a system can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use’.  In the case of globalisation, the ‘specified users’ become a very large group in terms of the language and cultural requirements of people in all countries worldwide.  In the case of localisation, the ‘specified users’ become a more clearly defined group based on language and cultural needs.  But successful international products require both globalisation and localisation if they are to work for users worldwide and among different cultures.  The problem for the designer is how to combine global, general solutions and unique, local solutions for the design of user interfaces.

This half day, interactive tutorial will provide you with the tools and techniques to assist clients’ decisions in this area.  You will gain an understanding of the business benefits of localising and globalising a product or system.  You will gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of  localising and/or globalising from a customer experience perspective as well as the risks of doing neither.  You will walk away with practical tips on how to conduct international usability testing.  We will provide usability case studies from industry, which we will work through as a group, and include examples from systems and products.  We will look at the differences between localisation and globalisation and what this means to usability practitioners, designers, developers and business.

Who should attend?

This course is designed for anyone who is involved in specifying how a system or product will look and function.  This could include managers, engineers, designers, developers and analysts from IT, commercial or marketing functions.

What skills and information will they learn?

The objective of this course is for participants:

• To gain a better understanding of the differences between localisation and globalisation
• To appreciate the usability issues associated with both approaches
• To learn the business benefits of each and how to evaluate from a customer’s perspective
• To gain an understanding of the typical risks associated with doing neither
• To learn practical tips on when and how to conduct international usability testing.

Course content

We will use our own experiences to provide real examples in this interactive workshop.  There will be a combination of individual and group activities to practice the theory and tools taught.

• Overview of tutorial
• Introduction to internationalisation, globalisation and localisation
• Activity: from a customer’s perspective
• Stakeholders and their perspectives
• Business benefits and risks
• Activity: evaluating the business benefits  
• How to decide
• Case Study 1: non-textual instructions for a printer
• Case Study 2: an international shipping website
• When to include users
• Tips on usability testing abroad

Course information and how to book

This course is run in-house.  It can be run as either a half-day or a one day course, depending on the previous knowledge of the participants, the number of case studies and the practical activities required.

For a half-day, in-house course, the maximum number of participants per course is 20 and prices start from £59 + VAT per head.

If you need any further details, please call us on +44 (0)20 7240 3388 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

What did previous participants think?

Great course, great discussions!

Great communicator.

Well done, thank you very much.

For more information on any of our services, please contact us