
Cinderella’s Slipper—Does It Fit Americans and Europeans?
http://www.stc.org/confproceed/1993/PDFs/PG98101.PDF
Ryan, Suzanne V.
STC Proceedings
1993
Abstract:
This paper represents an international study of IBM customers in the U. S., England, and Germany to see what effect the layout of a technical document has on usability for an audience of Americans and Europeans. The results
indicate that while Americans and Europeans want most of
the same usability features, they do not agree on all
features. Communicating effectively with readers from
different countries requires that writers work closely with
international readers who represent the readers of their
document; interview people who represent their audience;
work with a document designer before starting the first
draft; and test the draft document on representative users.