Musings on the Current Aesthetic and use of Japanese Websites

Japanese websites haven't evolved much over the years in terms of design. They still feature mind-reeling juxtapositions of images and text. The rest of the world has adopted a minimalist approach to web design, but in Japan sites are still loud and busy. What could be Japan's reason for this outdated approach? The answer may rest in how Japanese culture consumes information.

Information Overload

One reason websites in Japan pack so many graphics and blocks of texts on a single page could be related to how the Japanese process information. From an early age the Japanese are taught to be efficient learners. They typically read faster and comprehend more of what they read than many other cultures.

Reading speed is assigned a value in Japan that it is not given elsewhere. The ability to process visual information in a short period of time is considered intelligent, and intelligence is stressed in Japanese culture.

As a result, web developers try to give Japanese web visitors a maximum amount of information on each page. Having to click through numerous pages to arrive at the desired content will never fly in Japan. It just isn't how people there do things.

Japanese Consumer Culture

Americans are impulse buyers. The Japanese, not so much. Residents of Japan like to consider a lot of information before they decide to make a purchase. As a result, web designers in Japan present as much product information as possible. The same goes for product photos. More is better.

On the subject of graphics, the Japanese like to see what they are buying. They don't want a simple photo. They want a collage. It is vitally important to catch the eye, and lots of slick graphics will do that.

Japanese websites may look strange to people from other countries, but to the people of Japan they look just right. Web designers in the country are practicing one of best principles of marketing. You have to engage viewers on their own level. Your design has to resonate with its intended audience. Otherwise, you're speaking a foreign language.