The Languageless User Interface

Today, with the power of the Internet, Google Play, the Apple Store, or any of the smaller virtual application markets, digital entrepreneurs have access to billions of consumers and the potential to earn billions of dollars. Unfortunately, if the majority of consumers can’t understand an app, they can’t use it. Linguistic differences stand in the way of potential blockbuster sales. But that doesn’t necessarily mean translation is needed; there are ways of communicating without words. In today’s Simply CSOFT, we’ll explore examples of clever application design that have bypassed the hurdles of a multilingual world and reaped enormous benefits by going languageless .

It’s All About the User Interface. Look at your user interface (UI) from a non-native perspective. What do you see? If there are words of any sort, they’ll be gibberish to you; even the simplest expressions – “exit” or “go” – may not be understandable. However, you can get around this by crafting instructions that aren’t language dependent.

Take, for instance, the buttons in Google Chrome: an arrow back, an arrow forward, and arrow going in a circular motion, a star, and three lines, one on top of the other forming a square; a great example of text-less UI. The first four buttons are remarkably easy to understand, even for first time users, and the last is only slightly more difficult to understand. The first four buttons take you back and forth between visited web pages, let you reload or bookmark pages, and the three-lined button pulls down a menu, but it’s used far less often. That’s because in user interfaces, if something isn’t perfectly crystal clear, users tend to avoid it. Make sure every button’s use is overly obvious.

Have a look at the award-winning iOS app, Paper, for the iPad. Its UI is a simple selection of 6 different drawing tools (1 is free, the other 5 are available for in-app purchase), a color mixing wheel, and a selection of 7 colors. With a glance, people know how to use the application even if they’ve never used an iPad before. This is a perfect illustration of simplicity, a characteristic that immediately attracts users. An app doesn’t need too many functions to be a hit; make it simple and users will find that much more appealing.

Finally, there’s LinkedIn. Its user interface is a breeze; if you see something you want to change within your profile, you simply click on the blue pencil next to it. Compare that to Facebook, where you have to click on the Settings button and go through several submenus before winding up where you want to be. The best UIs have the buttons next to the things they control.

It’s not always possible to cut out language and the need for translation in your user interface design, but the process of examining every element with the above examples in mind may help you spark some ideas for useful workarounds. If you’re still drawing a blank, we recommend viewing design portfolios on the web for inspiration. Consider your designs carefully and compare them with UIs you think are great. Your users will thank you for it.

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If you’re interested in learning more about CSOFT’s globalization and localization solutions, don’t forget to visit csoftintl.com!