How to Map Cultural Dimensions to Usability Criteria: Implications for the Design of an Automotive Human-Machine Interface

Culture impacts the perception of a product and the perception in turn affects its evaluation. Research already revealed that usability ratings for the same product differ between countries Therefore, the underlying reasons how culture and usability may be mapped should be further investigated. Gaining deeper understanding of this connection might lead to a better comprehension why same products are rated differently in different markets. The aim of this contribution is to map the six cultural dimensions by Hofstede to the seven usability criteria defined by ISO 9241-210. Based on theoretical considerations, implications for culturally adapted HMIs are derived and an experimental approach for future research is presented.