The importance of planning for Medical Device UI localization

Åsa — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:11:14 -0700

Medical devices tend to be notorious for limited space in their displays. At the same time, it is vital that there is no truncated text, that abbreviations are non-ambiguous, easily understood, and that they are consistent. This has its own challenges within the software itself, but when you add Online help and User manuals to the mix, it quickly can become a disaster of inconsistencies, misunderstandings, delays in project schedules and of course additional costs.

The only true way of dealing with this is PLANNING:
1.   create a rigorous glossary of terms and have translations approved by all subject matter experts involved
2.   review English screens for potential string limitations prior to translation
3.   provide screen captures of strings in context
4.   during translation, identify translated words that may need to be abbreviated in several screens
5.   during translation, decide on whether to find a shorter term, or whether there is an acceptable abbreviation that will work across several screens
6.   add approved abbreviations to the glossary
7.   test and regress software fully
8.   update glossary with any additional/changed abbreviations
9.   take any required screen captures used in help and documentation
10.   only now, start help and documentation translations, allowing for potential customizations of localized text to explain abbreviations used.
If your schedule allows for all the above, you have little to worry about. However, reality rarely allows for this generous of a timeline.

This does not mean you should not think through each and every step of the ideal process. By taking a couple of days to brainstorm and truly think through the challenges involved with your particular device, you can come up with smart compromises that will save you money, improve quality, and reduce stress on everyone involved. Also remember that for each target locale you add, the costs and delays caused by lack of planning multiplies exponentially.

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The importance of planning for Medical Device UI localization