Cultural Differences in Web Design on Chinese and Western Websites: A Literature Review

Abstract

Understanding cultural differences in web design is essential to facilitate cross-cultural communication and guide website localization. A literature review has been done with 17 studies that compare design elements of Chinese and Western websites. We found most results of the studies were difficult to compare, since different design elements or different attributes of the same elements were investigated. Only a few consistent findings could be drawn from the reviewed studies: (1) Chinese websites have more items and active elements, while Western websites have more footers; (2) Chinese websites use more red and blue colors, and links opening in new windows. By contrast, Western websites use more white color and underlined links; (3) Chinese websites have more images related to leaders or ceremonies, while Western websites have more images related to daily life or nature. We also found that most studies relate the differences to various dimensions of Hofstede’s or Hall’s cultural models, but the explanations sometimes raise questions. Based on the findings of this review, a discussion on future directions of cross-cultural design studies is presented.