An investigation into Eastern Asia audiences in China, Japan, and Korea determined how intercultural communication affects non-native readers' comprehension and perception of a document design. The study, an after-only experiment, used a small-sized sample from people who were In-Country Reviewers (ICRs) and knew of medical products in Eastern Asia and had knowledge in the area's local language. The subjects read an indigenously or non-indigenously designed document, and self-reported their comprehension and preferences for formatting style. Although the statistics showed no significant difference between the groups, on any variable tested (language, comprehension, and format), the qualitative data that were gathered can be interpreted as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures preferred to read technical documents formatted horizontally and left to right.

Keywords: culture, document design, international communication, intercultural communication, preference.