Giraffes and penguins, or how to conduct international UX research?

International UX research – write letters or fly?

Conduct the study in another country yourself or outsource to a local firm? Let’s take a look at what choosing each approach entails:

Implementing an international study yourself:

+ greater control over implementation and consistency of approach (you are confident that you are implementing the study the same way in different countries),

– language barriers,

– cultural barriers,

– in case of fieldwork – possible high travel costs.

Outsourcing the study to a local research team:

+ knowledge of local culture and nuances by the local contractor – this can also be helpful at the stage of analysis and interpretation of results,

+ no language barriers,

– requires solid credentials of the implementing partner

– requires supervision of implementation,

– less control over implementation e.g. less data integrity possible.

It is a good idea to conduct the research on your own, but with the help of a local “cultural guide” – a person on the ground who will help with organisational issues, introduce to the local culture, and support in data interpretation. For example, when we conducted ethnographic research in Hong Kong, our local coordinator arranged interviews but also showed us how important it is to make the first contact through a person known to the respondent in order to build trust. She also supported us linguistically during the field observations. At the analysis stage, she provided invaluable help in interpreting difficult-to-understand observations.

If we decide to subcontract international UX research to a local contractor we should remember about specific issues:

• before the research not only provide the contractor with a set of materials but also thoroughly discuss with them the goals and course of the research and the expected form of communicating the results.
• during the research we should control the quality of incoming data: are the interviews or observations conducted according to our assumptions? Are the collected data sufficiently detailed and of appropriate quality?
• keep in touch with the researcher in order to dispel any possible doubts,
• after the study is completed, discuss the results together to make sure we understand each other (language issues can play tricks on us!).

• Will the interviewee be familiar with specialized terms in the language of the interview? For example, a doctor who reads specialist literature in English may have no problem with this, but an expert in another industry who works only in his native language may not necessarily know English specialist vocabulary. E.g., in the case of our interviews for an international furniture manufacturer, distributors from different countries gave us interviews in English without much trouble because they speak this language at work anyway. At the same time, the scope of the study did not require them to use very specialized language or talk about topics that were difficult for them.
• Wouldn’t limiting the sample to interviewees who speak English cause the sample to be skewed, i.e., not well representative of typical users?
• Do you want to talk about facts or perhaps opinions and feelings? – the second one is usually more difficult to express in a foreign language.
• Will any messages other than just what the respondent is talking about be important, e.g., what is displayed on their screen? Captions in the environment?
• What are your language skills – do you need to understand the finer nuances? Will an unusual accent of the interviewer not be an obstacle? Do you know the specialized vocabulary in the given language?
• Can you record the conversation so you can listen to it later?
• Will the presence of an interpreter interfere with the examination/test? Is prolonging the interview due to the need to translate a problem?
• Does the interviewee represent a culture very different from your own and will you need help interpreting cultural differences?

Remember also that if you want to test any materials with your subjects, you need to make sure that there is a good quality translation into the subjects’ language or into the common language of the interview. Due to the poor translation of materials, it happens that the discussion turns to grammar and style instead of the issues you are interested in. If you have the opportunity, test the materials (questionnaire, concept, text) with a native speaker of the language to check.

Reaching the penguins

Recruiting respondents outside your own market can be even more challenging than reaching respondents locally. Depending on the type of users you want to reach, different methods will work.

• Local agency – outsourcing this task to a local company that specialises in recruitment can be effective but can sometimes be expensive, especially if your target audience is not the typical Smith;
• International online panel – if you are conducting research remotely and not targeting a very narrow group, you can try using paid research panels that have databases of people willing to participate in research in many countries;

Far beyond the horizon

When the scope of our research extends far beyond our own cultural circle, we need to increase our vigilance. We may find that cultural differences interfere with our planned course of inquiry. Pay particular attention to differences in the following areas:

• Openness – in some cultures talking freely with a stranger is taken for granted, in others less so. Take this into account when planning your study. Perhaps you need a slightly longer “warm-up” before moving on to more difficult topics? Or perhaps someone needs to get to know you so the conversation can proceed in a more relaxed atmosphere?
• Criticism – open criticism is acceptable in Western cultures, whereas in the East criticism tends to be more veiled, not explicitly expressed.
• Privacy – Different cultures will differ in their willingness to disclose information about themselves or their loved ones. Consider this, especially in exploratory and ethnographic research.
• Silence – The function of silence also varies culturally. In some cultures silence is unacceptable, in others it means wondering or just unspoken criticism. Silence can be particularly difficult to interpret in telephone conversations. I became aware of this aspect during telephone interviews with Koreans when long moments of silence on the other end perplexed me, yet turned out to be a natural way of carrying on a conversation.
• What is considered offensive – before doing the research, find out e.g. from your local guide what might be considered offensive in a given culture (e.g. addressing someone by their first name, interrupting when they speak).

Technical obstacles

We are so used to certain technological solutions that we take them for granted. However, when it comes to conducting research in other countries, we should question such certainties and make sure, e.g:

• Do users in the studied market have the same access to modern technologies? Do they use them in the same way?
• Are the tools you want to use the same commonly used? – e.g. in some countries it will be easiest to complete an interview before WhatsApp, while in others this instant messenger will not be so popular (e.g. in China it is rather WeChat or Line).
• For a remote interview – will the user have a stable internet connection? Will the cost of data transfer not be a problem for him? – For e.g., for our interlocutors in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa, the cost of internet data transfer sent during the interview was a significant barrier.