This document discusses establishing cross-cultural collaboration between ERGOSIGN, a German user experience design firm, and Peepal Design, an Indian design firm. It outlines how the companies initially contacted each other, then worked to establish a shared understanding of their collaboration model and operational processes through frequent video calls. This included discussing potential business models, design philosophies, terminology differences, and each company's core competencies. The goal was to set up an effective partnership that leverages the strengths of both organizations while maintaining individual flexibility and independence.

1. Establishing Cross-cultural
Collaboration in the Field of UCD
Marcus Plach, Sebastian C. Scholz,
Aurobinda Pradhan, Jayaram Srinivasan
UPA Conference 2010, Munich
User Interface Design Icon Design Style Guide Usability Tests Custom Look & Feels
© 2010 by ERGOSIGN

2. About this talk
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Establishing Cross-cultural Collaboration in the Field of UCD 2

3. How to bridge the gap
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4. Collaborators
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5. ERGOSIGN – Germany
Saarbrücken
UCD pioneer in Germany (est. 2000)
Enterprise, Industry, Medical and Munich
Consumer
Focus: End-to-end UCD services and
strategic UX consulting
Hamburg
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6. Peepal Design India
• Founded last year
• With more than 10 years of
experience in SAP in India
and several years of
Industry experience
• Experience in developing
large scale enterprise
application
• Excellent academic and
research background
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7. Point of Departure
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8. The Indian Market
India is an inherently high-volume economy
Over the next two decades, the country’s middle class will grow from about 5
percent of the population to more than 40 percent and create the world’s fifth-
largest consumer market (McKinsey Global Insitute, 2007)
Every hour as many as 10.000 mobile phones are sold in India (The Economic
Times, 2008)
India is a growing design-driven economy
India Design Association lists six universities which offer interaction design and
about 20 Interaction/UX Design Firms (2010)
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9. Process
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10. Traditional model
The Understand-What-I-Mean model
just doesn’t work.
Sender Message Receiver
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11. Grounding
Mutally shared knowledge, beliefs, assumptions
It is not just there, unless you have actively
generated it by a succession of shared experiences
Both parties have a responsibility for building up a
common ground
Contributions to the common ground have to be
coordinated
Providing explicit evidence for mutual understanding
is crucial
UPA Conference 2010 Clark, Herbert H.; Brennan, Susan E. (1991), "Grounding in communication", in Resnick,
Establishing Cross-cultural Collaboration in the Field of UCD L. B.; Levine, J. M.; Teasley, J. S. D., Perspectives on socially shared cognition 11

12. Our approach
Initial Contact of Partners
Grounding of Collaboration Model
Grounding of Operational Model
Realization of a Reference Project
Setup of Production
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13. Grounding > Collaboration Model - The Setup
project & goal oriented
Virtual interaction while physically distant
Team
individual & collective learning processes
facilitate multicultural synergy effects
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14. Grounding > Collaboration Model - The Setup
Focus on Core
Competencies
Trust as
Virtual Soft
psychological
Team Integration
contract
Multimedia
UPA Conference 2010
Scholz, Christian (2001), “Virtuelle Teams mit darwiportunistischer Tendenz:
Establishing Cross-cultural Collaboration in the Field of UCD Der Dorothy-Effekt”, in OrganisationsEntwicklung 20 (4/2001), 20-29. 14

15. Grounding > Collaboration Model - The Motivation
high
Collective
Darwiportunism
Darwinism
low
low high
Individual
Opportunism
UPA Conference 2010
Scholz, Christian (2001), “Virtuelle Teams mit darwiportunistischer Tendenz:
Establishing Cross-cultural Collaboration in the Field of UCD Der Dorothy-Effekt”, in OrganisationsEntwicklung 20 (4/2001), 20-29. 15

16. Grounding > Collaboration Model - The Motivation
Elaboration of all possible business collaboration
models via Skype
Both partners want to
High Darwinism
keep their economic independance
generate revenue through the collaboration
Maintain flexibility (in the longterm) Low Opportunism
Yet ERGOSIGN was offered to lead in the beginning
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17. Grounding > Collaboration Model - The Mindset
Sharing of all processes, theories and
experiences in bi-monthly Skypes.
We share the same pragmatic philosophy:
UX design is a very agile and creative process
with a strong focus on quality.
There are a lot “False Friends” in the
terminology of user interface design although it
is a highly specialized domain.
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18. Grounding > Operational Model - The Services
Service Potential
User Research Very High
User Testing Very High
Low, since interaction with client, but maybe
Conceptual Design
very helpful as part of Analysis
Visual Design Maybe, depends on project, presumably icons
Prototyping Maybe, depends on project.
Look & Feel Development Maybe, depends on project.
Low, since high overlap with conceptual
Documentation
design
Low, since required business knowledge is
Specification
usually transported locally
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19. 6 Months
Initial Grounding of Grounding of Realization of
Contact Collaboration Model Operational Model Reference Project
Face 2 Face 2
Skype Skype Skype Skype Skype Skype Skype Skype Skype Skype
Face Face
Common Ground
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20. Wrap-Up
Process: Common ground has to be built actively
regarding collaborational and operational model.
Setup: “Virtual Team” work well, if trust as main
driver for psychological contract is established.
Motivation: Darwiportunism crystalizes the
objectives of both parties and the rules to be set.
Mindset: It is crucial to check each others’
philosophy on user interface design.
Services: The assessment of sharable/offerable
services has to be conducted on both sides.
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21. Many Thanks
Saarbrücken Hamburg München
Europa-Allee 12 Rothenbaumchausee 31 Augustenstraße 73
66113 Saarbrücken 20148 Hamburg 80333 München
www.ergosign.de