Cultural relativism is the understanding that a person’s behaviors and activities should be interpreted in the context of their own culture. We rely heavily on this principle to understand user groups in order to design digital systems for them. Our current models for understanding and quantifying cultural relativism are on the international scale; we see Americans as a group distinct from Japanese, who are again distinct from British. However, this may not be enough. The current socio-political climate in America demonstrates that the cultural influences even within a nation might be misunderstood. This talk will explore some of the current frameworks we have to understand culture, and propose ways to better work them into our design practices.

1. The Influence of Cultural Relativism
Ramya Mahalingam
@rams_mahalingam on twitter
@openchair on instagram
UX Architect at Cardinal Solutions
Benevolent Dictator of Charlotte Storytellers

3. https://chipotle.com

4. http://www.shortlistdubai.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/02/18/La%20Tablita%20bar.jpg

5. http://cdn.secretmenus.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/chipotle-employees.jpg

6. Hallmates ≠ UX people

7. Cultural relativism
Cultural relativism is the understanding that a person’s
behaviors and activities should be interpreted in the
context of their own culture.
Franz Uri Boas

8. http://www.internationalbusinessguide.org/10-successful-
american-businesses-that-have-failed-overseas/
https://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/2010/04/01/
mcdonalds-failure-in-barbados-hides-in-plain-sight/
https://venturebeat.com/2014/04/02/happy-2014-chat-
games-may-the-odds-be-ever-in-your-favor/

9. Problems?
User Research!

12. Ethnocentric

14. What is Culture?

15. What is Culture?
The acquired knowledge people use to interpret
experience and generate behavior.
James Spradley

19. tacit culture
explicit culture

20. tacit culture
explicit culture

22. http://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/McKinsey%20Digital/Our%20Insights/Digital%20globalization%20The%20new%20era%20of%20global%20flows

23. Illustration by Daniel Hertzberg

24. Pretzel Salad

25. https://images-gmi-pmc.edge-generalmills.com/8162d1d4-cf6e-4065-916a-519579f088cb.jpg

26. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4b/8e/0e/
4b8e0eca46b8c3be404d478228191912.jpg
https://addapinch.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/3/files/2012/04/
frozen-fruit-salad-67111.jpg
https://images-gmi-pmc.edge-generalmills.com/8162d1d4-
cf6e-4065-916a-519579f088cb.jpg

27. Culture is not Geography

29. Culture is not Geography
…because of
digital technology

30. Media Consumption in
the 2016 U.S. Election

32. All information is
Cultural Influence

33. As (UX, IA, UI, Front-End)ers,
we are responsible for our
influence

39. What makes you, you?

40. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions theory
Power distance index (PDI)
Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV)
Uncertainty avoidance index (UAI)
Masculinity vs. femininity (MAS)
Long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation (LTO)
Indulgence vs. restraint (IND)

41. Interaction
Association
Subsistence
Bisexuality
Territoriality
Hall’s Primary Message Systems
Temporality
Learning and Acquisition
Play
Defense
Exploitation

42. Similarities, not Differences

44. https://2ecffd01e1ab3e9383f0-07db7b9624bbdf022e3b5395236d5cf8.ssl.cf4.rackcdn.com/Product-800x800/c5db27ba-ca35-490f-9d0b-4c1c66b4e280.jpg

45. “We are constantly manifesting
thoughts into action
to create our reality”
— My yoga teacher, sometimes

46. Thanks!
Ramya Mahalingam
@rams_mahalingam on twitter
@openchair on the gram
UX Architect at Cardinal Solutions
Benevolent Dictator of Charlotte Storytellers