Yahoo's websites in the US and China were compared based on their adherence to various HCI principles. Yahoo US violated principles of aesthetic pleasingness, clarity, consistency, predictability, directness and efficiency. Yahoo China violated configurability, flexibility, control and simplicity. However, Yahoo China followed principles of aesthetic pleasingness and did a better job of localization through language, character set, date formats and visual communication localization. Overall, Yahoo China was determined to have done a good job with localization.

1. Yahoo (US vs. China)
Beibei Yang
Nov. 15, 2010
UMass Lowell
91.527 Human-Computer Interaction, Fall 2010
This presentation is available at: http://goo.gl/Bsoww

2. Yahoo (US):
http://www.yahoo.com

3. Yahoo (China):
http://www.yahoo.com.cn
or
http://cn.yahoo.com

4. Yahoo (China)
Language: simplified Chinese
Character set: GB2312
Reading direction: L2R

5. Search Assistant
Good: Feature appropriateness and taste/values
Good: Visual communication

6. Left Column: Navigation Bar
• Yahoo (US) allows navigation
bar customization
• Yahoo (China) doesn’t allow
customization
– Contradicts the Configurability
and Control in HCI principles
• Both good practice of Visual
communication (icons)

7. Left Column: Navigation Bar Customization

8. Left Column: Navigation Bar Customization

9. Mid-column: Content •Date (including time zone)
•Weights and measures
Both representation and
content are localized
Violates the predictability principle Follows the predictability principle

10. Mid-column: Content
• The content of Yahoo (China) has a much
longer length than Yahoo (US)
– Matches the feature appropriateness and
taste/values principle
– However, one can argue that Yahoo China violates
the simplicity and efficiency principles, and Fitt’s
Law
• The content of Yahoo (US) violates the Clarity,
Predictability, Consistency, and Efficiency in
principles

11. Right Column
Good: Directness, and Efficiency

12. Foot
Good: Feature appropriateness and taste/values

13. Aesthetically Speaking …
• Yahoo (US)
– Violates the Aesthetically
pleasing principle
• Yahoo (China)
– Follows the Aesthetically
pleasing principle

14. Error 404
• Yahoo (US) displays search
results
• Yahoo (China) shows the
above 404 message before
redirecting to the homepage
Both follow the Forgiveness principle

15. The “Contact Us” Page
• Street address
• Postal Code
• Phone Number

16. Others
• Yahoo (US)
– links open in same window
• Yahoo (China)
– links open in a new window
Good: Feature appropriateness and taste/values

17. Summary
• HCI Principles and Heuristics
– Yahoo (US)
• Violates: Aesthetically pleasing, Clarity, Consistency, Predictability,
Directness, and Efficiency
• Follows: Compatibility, Comprehensibility, Configurability, Control,
Flexibility, Forgiveness, Simplicity, and Responsiveness
– Yahoo (China)
• Violates: Configurability, Flexibility, Control, Simplicity, and Efficiency
• Violates: Recognize rather than recall (Heuristics)
• Follows: Aesthetically pleasing, Compatibility, Comprehensibility,
Clarity, Predictability, Directness, Efficiency, Forgiveness, and
Responsiveness
• Yahoo (China) Good Practice of Localization
– Language, Character set, Reading direction
– Year, Month, Date, Measures
– Visual communication
– Feature appropriateness and taste/values
Conclusion:
Overall, Yahoo (China) did a good job on localization

18. Thank You!