A screenshot from Fitbit’s German website this morning. The issue is circled in red, a scale with a “feel-good” weight of 122.5. Amusingly enough, this only feels good if you live in the colonies. Germany is not part of it. Here, the metric system rules, not the imperial one. 122.5 on a scale will be interpreted as 122,5 kg, which amounts to a whooping 270 pounds. So much for getting fit with Fitbit!
The lesson for software design, of course, is that if you go international, you have to be culturally knowledgable and sensitve. And you have to pay attention to detail. That’s what we are trying to teach our students who are working hard to become product managers. Maybe we should add this example to our PM by Case collection?
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