Japanese web design: weird, but it works. Here's why [video] (opens in new tab)

(youtube.com)

20 points3x35r22m4u1y ago18 comments

18 comments

A web page full of information is complex? All webpages used to be like that, nobody found it complicated, I wouldn't mind going back to more information dense pages.

catlikesshrimp1y ago

We don't mind information density, but most people find it easier to process less information.

The youtuber mentions that "Asians" can process information faster than "Americans"

(No comment)

bryanrasmussen1y ago

They said East Asians, my comment - given the other statements made in the video I would assume the ability to process more information is due to cultural training - you always process more information, get page with less information seems weird to you, need more information to feel secure that page is way it is supposed to be... thus the ability to process more information is a self-reinforcing cycle.

Gys1y ago

I think this changed mainly due to the rise of mobiles. Websites have to be readable on small screens (‘mobile first’).

I wonder how they do this in Japan.

workfromspace1y ago

Of the 3 times I was in Japan, many websites didn't work correctly on mobile or didn't work at all and required desktop.

Morita_s1y ago

I am a young Japanese person. Honestly, I prefer minimal and simple web design, but there is a parameter that cannot be measured by whether something is cool or cute. That parameter is "a sense of security."

Japanese people have a superstition that a slightly shabby ramen shop is tastier than a stylish and clean one. The feeling of being a bit cluttered strangely brings a sense of security. Do you think you can understand this?

ushiroda801y ago

Many many Japanese websites do not work. They have idiosyncratic navigation and dense and convoluted signup processes. Japanese user are used to this friction but websits do not succeed because of this complexity, they pass because of tolerant user base.

workfromspace1y ago

I am still shocked why I cannot buy a Shinkansen train ticket between midnight and 6am.

I think Japanese websites problem is much more complex than just few reasons.

maxglute1y ago

This topic gets rehashed pretty frequently, what other languages have very different designs? I remember someone linking to cool Mongolian sites with vertical script.

Also I like "outdated" Japanese designs, I wish websdesign was more cyclical like fashion and we'd circle back to earlier web. I don't care much for LLMs, but I do like getting blocks of text returned, reminds me of simpler times.

worksonmine1y ago

This makes me wish I lived in Japan, imagine being part of a culture where clickbait is so shunned that companies avoid it.

hackerbeat1y ago

It’s odd that a country synonymous to minimalism loves complex websites.

hackerbeat1y ago

But then again, walking through Tokyo is like looking at these.

Cloudef1y ago

Ah yes, Japanese databases that have maximum length for password and weirdly limits what characters you can enter. Banking systems that still link your information against your name, ending up in hilarious situations. Forms that won't fit your name, so you end up doing the snail mail method instead. Not sure about the local laws, but white hat would have a field day with Japanese services and web sites.

stevebmark1y ago

Uhh I don’t think it does. Japanese websites have notoriously terrible accessibility and UX.

onion2k1y ago

The UX is fine for people who are used to a culture where they see massively information-dense, brightly colored, and spacially organized things all the time. There's a strong cultural correlation in UX design, and what works in one country often doesn't work in another. I've worked on a few websites that are accessed globally and it's common that a 'one website for everywhere' strategy yields poor results. You have to consider much more than just language when you go international.

Accessibility is a problem but that's due to browser developers not really considering other cultures properly. My Japanese team never found a good solution to that.

shiroiushi1y ago

No, it's really not fine at all. It's not just websites, it's electronic devices in general. The UIs are very complicated with every conceivable function right in your face. My Japanese girlfriend even complains about it. Things like washing machines and microwave ovens even are needlessly complicated to use. (Younger) Japanese people love western web sites/services such as Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, etc., and don't insist on a Japanese UI-style version of any of these.

Don't even get me started on how well Japanese websites handle non-traditional-Japanese names, or how banking apps that supposedly support English actually display most text and dialog buttons in Japanese.

There's a lot of great things about Japan, but the UX/UI here is absolutely terrible.

1 more reply

elphinstone1y ago

Yeah, who needs information and functionality? The whole web should be one ceaseless Instagram feed on an iPhone. /s

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

18 comments

RedShift11y ago

A web page full of information is complex? All webpages used to be like that, nobody found it complicated, I wouldn't mind going back to more information dense pages.

catlikesshrimp1y ago

We don't mind information density, but most people find it easier to process less information.

The youtuber mentions that "Asians" can process information faster than "Americans"

(No comment)

bryanrasmussen1y ago

Gys1y ago

I think this changed mainly due to the rise of mobiles. Websites have to be readable on small screens (‘mobile first’).

I wonder how they do this in Japan.

workfromspace1y ago

Of the 3 times I was in Japan, many websites didn't work correctly on mobile or didn't work at all and required desktop.

Morita_s1y ago

ushiroda801y ago

workfromspace1y ago

I am still shocked why I cannot buy a Shinkansen train ticket between midnight and 6am.

I think Japanese websites problem is much more complex than just few reasons.

maxglute1y ago

This topic gets rehashed pretty frequently, what other languages have very different designs? I remember someone linking to cool Mongolian sites with vertical script.

worksonmine1y ago

This makes me wish I lived in Japan, imagine being part of a culture where clickbait is so shunned that companies avoid it.

hackerbeat1y ago

It’s odd that a country synonymous to minimalism loves complex websites.

hackerbeat1y ago

But then again, walking through Tokyo is like looking at these.

Cloudef1y ago

stevebmark1y ago

Uhh I don’t think it does. Japanese websites have notoriously terrible accessibility and UX.

onion2k1y ago

Accessibility is a problem but that's due to browser developers not really considering other cultures properly. My Japanese team never found a good solution to that.

shiroiushi1y ago

There's a lot of great things about Japan, but the UX/UI here is absolutely terrible.

1 more reply

elphinstone1y ago

Yeah, who needs information and functionality? The whole web should be one ceaseless Instagram feed on an iPhone. /s

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse