Eye Tracking Evaluation Of Chinese Web Sites For The Chinese Market

Abstract

This paper assesses and analyzes ways Chinese and European people view web sites designed in English and Chinese languages.  The results suggest some similarities and differences based on different cultures.

The Chinese market is gaining more and more importance in the international business arena. Due to the strong Chinese Internet growth rates increasingly more global enterprises use the Internet for e-Commerce, market penetration and expansion, and to communicate information in China.  But the success of online communication with customers in the Chinese market is in many cases not as effective as planned, because of cultural differences between Chinese and European people.  Specific reading behavior, different cultural color definitions, diverse meanings of symbols or pictures as well as differing Chinese attitudes and values have to be considered when designing web sites for China. 

To gain more knowledge about the needs, tastes and behavior styles from Chinese Internet users, an experiment was designed with the following hypothesis:  Chinese and Europeans differ concerning web site evaluation and recognition due to culture.  Web sites designed for Chinese (Mercedes, Sony Ericsson, and China Eastern) were tested using an Eye Tracking camera.

Observation, using an Eye Tracking camera, combined with a survey, showed that Chinese users share only preferences like clarity and comprehensibility in web site quality with German users.  Significant differences can be named concerning amount of information, design/color design and terminology.  During the tests it also became clear that the order in which the Chinese users look at elements (navigation bar, text, pictures, etc.), and the tested recognition is not identical to European users.