Culture and Context: An Empirical Study for the Development of a Framework for the Elicitation of Cultural Influence in Product Usage

The globalization of the economy is leading to greater diversification among user groups. Product designers will therefore have to take account of the cultural differences between these user groups. This article first defines the construct of culture with regard to human–computer interaction and presents various possible cultural influences. It then considers how the concept of culture is defined in psychological theories on human–computer interaction. This information is then used as a basis for drawing up requirements to be met by methods for recording cultural influences. Qualitative methods seem to be particularly promising. Empirical work was carried out to identify factors that influence the use of products in foreign cultures. A total of 35 Indian households in Bombay and New Delhi were selected for a qualitative study in which a washing machine developed in Germany was used for a period of 3 weeks. From observations and interviews it was possible to identify 8 factors that need to be taken into consideration when defining requirements in different cultures.