Cross-cultural Research: Adventures in a Parallel Universe UX Week August, 2006 Steve Portigal Portigal Consulting

Portigal Consulting Synthesis of user research design business strategy Discover new insights about customers Consumers, B2B US, and global Recommendations for actions in response to new insights

Synthesis of

user research

design

business strategy

Discover new insights about customers

Consumers, B2B

US, and global

Recommendations for actions in response to new insights

Ethnography Ethnographic interviews Video ethnography Depth-interviews Contextual research Home visits Experience modeling Design research User-centered design Observational research Camera studies User safaris “User Research?”

Ethnography

Ethnographic interviews

Video ethnography

Depth-interviews

Contextual research

Home visits

Experience modeling

Design research

User-centered design

Observational research

Camera studies

User safaris

Ethnography Ethnographic interviews Video ethnography Depth-interviews Contextual research Home visits Experience modeling Design research User-centered design One-on-ones Camera studies User safaris “User Research?” What-ever!

Ethnography

Ethnographic interviews

Video ethnography

Depth-interviews

Contextual research

Home visits

Experience modeling

Design research

User-centered design

One-on-ones

Camera studies

User safaris

Examine users (consumers or other) in their own context What are they doing (“usage”) What does it mean Infer (interpret/synthesize/etc.) Find the connections The researcher is the “apparatus” Apply to business or design problems Use products, services, packaging, design to tell the right story User Research

Examine users (consumers or other) in their own context

What are they doing (“usage”)

What does it mean

Infer (interpret/synthesize/etc.)

Find the connections

The researcher is the “apparatus”

Apply to business or design problems

Use products, services, packaging, design to tell the right story

Three Depths of the Process Observing customers Interviewing customers Observing cultural context

How are people doing <something>? Look for and document processes What are the sequence of events and duration of a shopping trip? How does a Whopper get made? Who does what, and in what order? Identify what you want to know more about Why ? Observing People

How are people doing <something>?

Look for and document processes

What are the sequence of events and duration of a shopping trip?

How does a Whopper get made? Who does what, and in what order?

Identify what you want to know more about

Why ?

Who to interview? People that are involved in your activity People that are no longer involved in your activity People that refuse to be involved in your activity People that are over-the-top-involved in your activity Balance of agenda and open-ended Conversational (but they talk 80%) Ask follow-up questions Adopt their language and terminology Manage flow - Let them tell the story they want to tell you – often an “irrelevant” topic will be strongly tied to the main topic in their mind Interviewing People

Who to interview?

People that are involved in your activity

People that are no longer involved in your activity

People that refuse to be involved in your activity

People that are over-the-top-involved in your activity

Balance of agenda and open-ended

Conversational (but they talk 80%)

Ask follow-up questions

Adopt their language and terminology

Manage flow - Let them tell the story they want to tell you – often an “irrelevant” topic will be strongly tied to the main topic in their mind

Humans Beings are Judging Beings

Cultural Context What is normal? Look at artifacts in the culture Media Products Advertisements Street culture Trends and fads Normal isn’t “right or wrong” – it’s the set of background rules that define much of what people choose or ignore

What is normal?

Look at artifacts in the culture

Media

Products

Advertisements

Street culture

Trends and fads

Normal isn’t “right or wrong” – it’s the set of background rules that define much of what people choose or ignore

What is Normal?

What Happens When We Leave Our Culture? Tips. Tricks.

Crossing Cultures The backdrop (the stuff we normally ignore) is unfamiliar Everything seems perturbed from the norm We are trying to understand a cultural model – the connections between people, artifacts, and other factors The artifacts are different Check our assumptions A visceral experience – constant synthesis This will be more impactful than outsourcing the research to a “local” firm See www.janchipchase.com for a steady stream of artifacts and questions from “other” cultures

The backdrop (the stuff we normally ignore) is unfamiliar

Everything seems perturbed from the norm

We are trying to understand a cultural model – the connections between people, artifacts, and other factors

The artifacts are different

Check our assumptions

A visceral experience – constant synthesis

This will be more impactful than outsourcing the research to a “local” firm

See www.janchipchase.com for a steady stream of artifacts and questions from “other” cultures

CultureVenture provides immersive and inspirational experiences in foreign cultures to help you discover and make sense of the notable differences in your other markets. We provide experiences , insight , observations , and analysis . We’re not tour guides, and we’re not experts in how the rest of the world works. http://www.culture venture .net And now a brief commercial interruption

CultureVenture provides immersive and inspirational experiences in foreign cultures to help you discover and make sense of the notable differences in your other markets.

We provide experiences , insight , observations , and analysis . We’re not tour guides, and we’re not experts in how the rest of the world works.

http://www.culture venture .net

CultureVenture provides immersive and inspirational experiences in foreign cultures to help you discover and make sense of the notable differences in your other markets. We provide experiences , insight , observations , and analysis . We’re not tour guides, and we’re not experts in how the rest of the world works. http://www.culture venture .net

CultureVenture provides immersive and inspirational experiences in foreign cultures to help you discover and make sense of the notable differences in your other markets.

We provide experiences , insight , observations , and analysis . We’re not tour guides, and we’re not experts in how the rest of the world works.

http://www.culture venture .net

Finding Participants Partner with a firm in the destination country They may also provide interpreters Partner a local firm with connections or offices in the destination country Use social networks Make sure to do some basic grounding research to localize your screening criteria i.e., do they have broadband widely adopted? Do people live with their parents until they are older? Do the same brands drive the market that do here?

Partner with a firm in the destination country

They may also provide interpreters

Partner a local firm with connections or offices in the destination country

Use social networks

Make sure to do some basic grounding research to localize your screening criteria

i.e., do they have broadband widely adopted? Do people live with their parents until they are older? Do the same brands drive the market that do here?

Logistics and Location Allow a day in your schedule to get acclimated… … and a day for “cultural loading” Take advantage of your location Take pictures, collect literature and other examples Figure out what you’ll use it for later Do as much synthesis, note-writing, report preparation as you can before you come back Read a local newspaper What do you notice that is different? Top stories are sure to be repeated elsewhere during your visit

Allow a day in your schedule to get acclimated…

… and a day for “cultural loading”

Take advantage of your location

Take pictures, collect literature and other examples

Figure out what you’ll use it for later

Do as much synthesis, note-writing, report preparation as you can before you come back

Read a local newspaper

What do you notice that is different?

Top stories are sure to be repeated elsewhere during your visit

Interviewing in Another Country Foreigners, even Americans, who are genuinely interested in the country they are studying are often welcomed as visitors Respondents will take on the burden of helping you understand their country – as hosts, it is their duty They may be willing to “meet you halfway” in making the connection You are naive, so asking dumb questions is expected You can’t be “down” in a foreign country – your clothes, gait, odor, hair style, accent will typically give you away sooner or later

Foreigners, even Americans, who are genuinely interested in the country they are studying are often welcomed as visitors

Respondents will take on the burden of helping you understand their country – as hosts, it is their duty

They may be willing to “meet you halfway” in making the connection

You are naive, so asking dumb questions is expected

You can’t be “down” in a foreign country – your clothes, gait, odor, hair style, accent will typically give you away sooner or later

Interpretation Don’t call it translation Get referrals and hang onto folks you like Find those familiar with “market research” Thick accents may be difficult to transcribe or follow on video Brief your interpreters Review the interview guide Describe the process of the interview and their role Communicate the project goals Use them to help you avoid violating cultural rules (do or don’t accept offered drinks in the home, etc.) They legitimize you when you enter a respondent’s home Respondent may look to the interpreter to take a leadership role

Don’t call it translation

Get referrals and hang onto folks you like

Find those familiar with “market research”

Thick accents may be difficult to transcribe or follow on video

Brief your interpreters

Review the interview guide

Describe the process of the interview and their role

Communicate the project goals

Use them to help you avoid violating cultural rules (do or don’t accept offered drinks in the home, etc.)

They legitimize you when you enter a respondent’s home

Respondent may look to the interpreter to take a leadership role

Interpretation Interpretation creates a very entertaining “language soup” between interviewer(s), respondent(s), and interpreter You ask a question where is the eye contact, who is nodding in “understanding?” Interpretation Respondent answers the question where is eye contact, are you nodding to words you don’t understand? Interpretation Simultaneous, or small to large “chunks” Where is everyone’s eye contact? This takes practice (for you and the respondent) Follow-up question where is the eye contact, who is nodding in “understanding?” No tactical advice here – find what works best for all concerned – it’s a collaboration between all parties This “work” to communicate is a proxy for the ethnographic process itself Enjoy it

Interpretation creates a very entertaining “language soup” between interviewer(s), respondent(s), and interpreter

You ask a question

where is the eye contact, who is nodding in “understanding?”

Interpretation

Respondent answers the question

where is eye contact, are you nodding to words you don’t understand?

Interpretation

Simultaneous, or small to large “chunks”

Where is everyone’s eye contact?

This takes practice (for you and the respondent)

Follow-up question

where is the eye contact, who is nodding in “understanding?”

No tactical advice here – find what works best for all concerned – it’s a collaboration between all parties

This “work” to communicate is a proxy for the ethnographic process itself

Enjoy it

Cultural Context

So What? Each of these “mundane” observations reveal a crucial cultural need or driver or difference Space Customer service Kawaii Flavors Navigation Public Space Advertising Branding and Advertising Social Gestures

Each of these “mundane” observations reveal a crucial cultural need or driver or difference

Space

Customer service

Kawaii

Flavors

Navigation

Public Space

Advertising

Branding and Advertising

Social Gestures

Interesting tension between People are all the same no matter where you go People are completely different Consider the insider/outsider model for any research in another community You may not appear or act like a foreigner, but perhaps you can think like one Looking outside ourselves is a provocative way to learn about ourselves Sometimes the further away you look, the more you see Conclusion

Interesting tension between

People are all the same no matter where you go

People are completely different

Consider the insider/outsider model for any research in another community

You may not appear or act like a foreigner, but perhaps you can think like one

Looking outside ourselves is a provocative way to learn about ourselves

Sometimes the further away you look, the more you see

Contact Information Steve Portigal Portigal Consulting PO Box 370252 1133 Cedar St. Montara, CA 94037-0252 (650) 563-9839 [email_address] http://www.portigal.com