Watch Your Audience: Cultural Nuances for WearableTech Whisperers

4 years ago - Ultan Ó Broin on October 18, 2016

Localization Culture, Personalization and Design

Audience, Central Europe, culture, Demos, Reichstag, Second World War, Soviet, user experience (UX), wearable tech

I was demoing some smartwatch user experience in Central Europe recently and a couple of older members of the audience remarked that I reminded them of old-style Soviet soldiers.

I have a habit of wearing multiple smartwatches.

Smartwatch overload. Evokes memories in certain locales. #culturalsensitivity #fail

I get it now.

From now on I will only wear one smartwatch at a time in that locale.

Lesson learned: Know the history and culture of your audience!

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Tags:Audience, Central Europe, culture, Demos, Reichstag, Second World War, Soviet, user experience (UX), wearable tech

Ultan Ó Broin

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Ultan Ó Broin (@localization), is an independent UX consultant. With three decades of UX and L10n experience and outreach, he specializes in helping people ensure their global digital transformation makes sense culturally and also reflects how users behave locally.

Any views expressed are his own. Especially the ones you agree with.

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