How do you educate and train your users and clients on number formatting standards and preferences?

1 Identify your target markets

The first step is to identify the countries and regions where your users and clients are located or where you want to expand your business. You can use analytics tools, surveys, feedback, or market research to find out this information. Once you know your target markets, you can research their number formatting standards and preferences, and compare them with your own or with the default ones you use in your products and services.

2 Use localization tools and libraries

The second step is to use localization tools and libraries that can help you adapt your number formatting to different locales and languages. Localization is the process of customizing your products and services to the specific needs and expectations of a particular market. Localization tools and libraries can help you format numbers according to the local conventions, such as using commas or periods as decimal separators, displaying currency symbols and codes, and converting units of measurement. Some examples of localization tools and libraries are Intl.NumberFormat in JavaScript, Numeral.js, or ICU4J.

3 Test and validate your number formatting

The third step is to test and validate your number formatting to ensure that it works correctly and does not cause any confusion or errors for your users and clients. You can use testing tools, such as Selenium or Cypress, to automate the testing of your number formatting across different browsers, devices, and screen sizes. You can also use validation tools, such as Joi or Yup, to check that the input and output of your number formatting are valid and consistent. Additionally, you can ask for feedback from your users and clients, or hire local testers or translators, to verify that your number formatting meets their expectations and preferences.

4 Provide options and guidance

The fourth step is to provide options and guidance for your users and clients to choose their preferred number formatting or to learn more about the number formatting standards and preferences of other markets. You can provide options by allowing your users and clients to select their preferred locale, language, or currency from a menu or a dropdown list, or by detecting their location and browser settings automatically. You can also provide guidance by adding tooltips, labels, icons, or help pages that explain the meaning and purpose of the number formatting you use, or by linking to external resources, such as the Unicode Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR), that provide more information and examples.

5 Update and monitor your number formatting

The fifth step is to update and monitor your number formatting regularly to keep up with the changes and trends in the number formatting standards and preferences of your target markets. You can use tools, such as Globalize.js or Format.js, to update your number formatting automatically based on the latest data from the CLDR. You can also monitor your number formatting by tracking the usage, performance, and feedback of your products and services across different markets, and by following the best practices and recommendations from the internationalization community and experts.

6 Educate and train your team

The sixth step is to educate and train your team on the importance and benefits of number formatting standards and preferences for internationalization. You can share your research, tools, tests, options, guidance, updates, and monitoring results with your team members, and encourage them to learn more about the number formatting conventions and expectations of your target markets. You can also provide training sessions, workshops, webinars, or courses on number formatting for internationalization, or hire consultants or trainers who can help you improve your skills and knowledge in this area.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?