Designing for Non-Native English Speakers
Creating more inclusive experiences regardless of one’s primary language.
Below is the Simplified Chinese version. Go to English version
“当我们为非英语母语使用者设计更好的体验时，我们也为每一个人提供了更好的体验。”
– Yanni Xiang
我第一次接触医疗是在搬来美国的第一年，那时我还是一名国际留学生。在赶公交车的时候，我不小心摔伤了右手手腕和右脚脚腕。跟朋友的咨询后，在摔伤的第二天我去了急诊诊所（Urgent Care)。我跟医生描述了当时摔伤的场景以及我现在伤势的情况。在诊断的过程中，医生询问了我的一些家庭疾病史以及药物史。我突然意识到那些我非常熟悉的词汇：心血管疾病、心颤、脑血栓，我却不知道如何用英语来表达。随后的药物历史和过敏史咨询更是让我感到无助。这些专业术语对于我来说简直是天方夜谭。我根本不知道这些看似不常用的英语词汇竟然会在此刻如此重要。
这是我第一次体验到作为一个非英语母语使用者在美国医疗上遇到的困难。语言上的挫败感和无法正确地和医生沟通让我感到，作为患者的自己是被现有的医疗服务排除之外的。这也不禁让我感到害怕，试想一下，如果你在国外遇到了意外突发事件，在不精通当地语言的情况下，你要如何在医院接受正规的治疗？
非母语使用者和普通使用者没有什么不同，我们每一个人都会体验到作为一名非母语使用者的经历。在早期的产品设计中，我们已经学会了如何运用视觉或者图像去交流同样一件事情。比如，当你在异国旅行时，你虽然读不懂当地的语言，但一张地图却可以告诉你如何走到一个火车站，交通信号灯告诉你什么时候可以过马路；当你学习一门新的语言时，简单的读物或者漫画书可以让你更轻松地阅读文章的含义；当你在高速公路上驾驶时，没有文字的图标会告知你前方有弯曲的路。这些为当地使用者和非母语使用者设计的产品和视觉，如今帮助到了所有的人。其实，我们每一个人都是这些产品的受益者。
我相信作为一名非母语使用者，在美国医疗上遇到的经历并非是特例，这仅仅是所有非英语母语使用者的冰山一角。根据美国人口普查局的数据，21.6% 的人在家说英语以外的语言，大约 8.3% 的人口说英语 “低于‘非常好’”。在我调研有关非英语母语使用者在医疗上的体验时，许多文章都建议非母语使用者去提高自己的英语能力，在听说读写上多练习自己的第二语言，从而减少在日常生活中的语言障碍。但是如果我们已经意识到语言障碍是非英语母语使用者在日常生活中会遇到的问题，那么作为设计师的我们就应该去思考如何解决这个问题。无论这个使用者的第一语言是什么，我们应该尝试去开发更包容和多元化的产品、用户体验以及视觉，去思考用户的多元化，去为每一个人设计。
当你在为非英语母语使用者设计产品时，问自己以下这些问题可以更好的帮助到你的设计：
- 对于文本较多的页面，我有没有使用相应的视觉或者图标来进一步的展现其中的含义？
- 对于一些较为复杂的专业术语，我有没有使用一些文字工具提示去帮助他们理解其中的含义？
- 母语非英语用户是否能理解你的产品内容?
- 我有没有用一些标准的图标来表达“下载”，“上传”，“保存”，“帮助” 等较为常用的按钮？
- 在设计初期时，我有没有召集非英语母语参与者来验证原型的设计概念和可用性？
想想看，如果你产品的用户是非母语使用者，那么你将如何提升电子产品和软件的体验， 这些产品和体验将会有哪些不同呢？如果你也有一些为非英语母语使用者设计的相关经验以及建议，请分享给我们。
Below is the English version
“A better user experience for non-native English speakers means a better experience for everyone.”
– Yanni Xiang
The first time I was introduced to the health care system was my first year as an international student in the United States. I had an accident and injured my right wrist and right ankle. After consulting with my classmates and friends, I went to Urgent Care. I told the doctor how I got injured and the current condition of my injury. The doctor started to ask me some questions about my family health history and medical history during the diagnosis and I suddenly realized that because of the language barrier, words I was familiar with within my first language — cardiovascular disease, heart fibrillation, cerebral thrombosis — were hard to express in English. Subsequent medical history and allergies inquiries made me feel even more helpless. I had no idea that these seemingly uncommon or infrequently used terminologies would serve to be so important.
This was the first time I had experienced difficulties as a non-native English speaker participating in the US healthcare system. These feelings of frustration and exclusion made me wonder — if you encounter an emergency or accident abroad, how would you get the proper treatment in the hospital if you couldn’t speak the local language?
Non-native speakers are not atypical. Most of us will experience being a non-native speaker, or communicating with a non-native speaker at some point. In the early stages of product design, we learn to use visual communication to convert the meaning of ordinary things. For example, a map could tell you where to find a subway station when you are traveling abroad even though you don’t speak the local language, a traffic light could tell you when to cross the street, and airport signage could tell you exactly where you need to be. When you are learning a second language, easy reading books or comic books makes it easier to understand the language that you are learning; when you are driving on the highway, you will visually notice there is a winding road ahead. These products and visual cues are designed for native and non-native speakers alike. We are all the beneficiaries of these products.
I believe that my own experience as a non-native English speaker participant in the US healthcare system is not unique. According to the United States Census Bureau, 21.6% of people speak a language other than English at home, and about 8.3% of the population speaks English “less than ‘very well’.” In my research of healthcare experiences of non-native English speakers, I read many articles suggesting that these non-native speakers need to improve their English skills by practicing more around listening, reading, and writing, therefore, minimizing the language barrier in their daily lives. However, if we already realize that the language barrier is a problem for non-native English speakers, then as a designer, we should think about how we might solve this problem by creating more inclusive products, experiences, and visual cues for all to use, regardless of one’s primary language. As product designers, we should always consider the diversity of our users so that we are able to design for everyone.
When you are designing for non-native English speakers, ask yourself these questions to help you think more inclusively:
- On pages with a lot of content, can I use illustrations or iconography to convey the meaning of the information?
- For advanced terminology, can I provide tooltips with plain language to help them understand better?
- Is the content understandable for users that are non-native English speakers?
- Can I use standardized icons for these commonly used buttons? For example, “Save,” “Help,” “Upload,” “Download,” Error,” etc.
- Have I recruited non-native English speakers to test the usability and validate the design in the early stage?
If the users of your products are non-native English speakers, what would you change to improve their experience, and how would it look different from your current design?
If you have any suggestions or experience of design for non-native English speakers, please share with us!
Reference
- Openfield|Your user base includes 1M+ non-native English students. Is your EdTech product ready to serve ESL learners well? by Yanni Xiang
- United States Census Bureau|People That Speak English Less Than “Very Well” in the United States Updated on April 08, 2020
- UXmatters|How to Design for Non-native English Speakers by Manik Arora
