People

Internal Culture

Fostering a multicultural environment for the design team is very beneficial to user research. With at least one member of the team sharing similar backgrounds as the target demographic, many potential biases and assumptions in questions can be prevented. It is important to facilitate open-mindedness when it comes to conducting user research because it is essential for framing the best research questions. Having good internal culture can also help the design team better work with local partners, which could lead to more local involvement in the product and improved marketing.

Interviewing

  • Translators: Translation will be needed depending on the language preference of the participant.
  • Moderator: Moderator can sometimes be the interviewer. If the interviewer’s background could cause discomfort, then it is beneficial to hire a bilingual moderator or local facilitator who shares a similar background as the participants to help them vocalize their needs.

Research Firms

Through working with research firms that specialize in international work, costly mistakes can be avoided and the research initiatives can be executed more efficiently. These companies can manage the entire process from start to finish and will be able to yield insights faster. Lastly, it is important to emphasize the importance of working with local partners because they will be very resourceful in addressing your needs for the UX study such as with translation, transcription, and facilitation.

The laws for user research vary widely between countries, and they generally cover 3 areas:

  • Storage of participant information
  • Recording authorizations
  • Compensation

While the United States has very relaxed laws regarding recruiting participants, there are many countries that have very strict laws that limit your method. Because of this, the recruiting landscape for participants tends to vary widely as well. Thus, it is crucial to educate yourself on the participant recruiting landscape by working with local contacts, industry associations, and global UX vendors.

Created by Eric Dai â“’ 2022 Global Design