Document

Author
Fiona Zheng and Setia Hermawati
Abstract
Cultures influence preferences towards user interface (UI) which prompted the emergence of the culture-based UI design approach. Hofstede’s cross-cultural theory identified Hong Kong as having a unique culture orientation in comparison to western countries or mainland China. This study aimed to investigate Hong Kongese preference on the UI of health and fitness apps. Three human factors experts systematically analysed two comparable apps designed by mainland Chinese and Western companies. The results were then used to guide an online survey (n=103) exploring the preferences of Hong Kongese. The systematic analysis showed that UI differences observed between the two apps corresponded well with cultural dimension differences between the United States and Mainland China; suggesting an unmet need for culturally sensitive UI. The online survey showed that UI preferences are also significantly affected by age and gender (p < 0.05); suggesting the culture-based UI design approach alone was insufficient to guide UI design.