Ethnographic Research In UX

🌎 Designing Cross-Cultural And Multi-Lingual UX. Guidelines on how to stress test our designs, how to define a localization strategy and how to deal with currencies, dates, word order, pluralization, colors and gender pronouns. ⦿ Translation: “We adapt our message to resonate in other markets”. ⦿ Localization: “We adapt user experience to local expectations”. ⦿ Internationalization: “We adapt our codebase to work in other markets”. ✅ English-language users make up about 26% of users. ✅ Top written languages: Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese. ✅ Most users prefer content in their native language(s). ✅ French texts are on average 20% longer than English ones. ✅ Japanese texts are on average 30–60% shorter. 🚫 Flags aren’t languages: avoid them for language selection. 🚫 Language direction ≠ design direction (“F” vs. Zig-Zag pattern). 🚫 Not everybody has first/middle names: “Full name” is better. ✅ Always reserve at least 30% room for longer translations. ✅ Stress test your UI for translation with pseudolocalization. ✅ Plan for line wrap, truncation, very short and very long labels. ✅ Adjust numbers, dates, times, formats, units, addresses. ✅ Adjust currency, spelling, input masks, placeholders. ✅ Always conduct UX research with local users. When localizing an interface, we need to work beyond translation. We need to be respectful of cultural differences. E.g. in Arabic we would often need to increase the spacing between lines. For Chinese market, we need to increase the density of information. German sites require a vast amount of detail to communicate that a topic is well-thought-out. Stress test your design. Avoid assumptions. Work with local content designers. Spend time in the country to better understand the market. Have local help on the ground. And test repeatedly with local users as an ongoing part of the design process. You’ll be surprised by some findings, but you’ll also learn to adapt and scale to be effective — whatever market is going to come up next. Useful resources: UX Design Across Different Cultures, by Jenny Shen https://lnkd.in/eNiyVqiH UX Localization Handbook, by Phrase https://lnkd.in/eKN7usSA A Complete Guide To UX Localization, by Michal Kessel Shitrit 🎗️ https://lnkd.in/eaQJt-bU Designing Multi-Lingual UX, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/eR3GnwXQ Flags Are Not Languages, by James Offer https://lnkd.in/eaySNFGa IBM Globalization Checklists https://lnkd.in/ewNzysqv Books: ⦿ Cross-Cultural Design (https://lnkd.in/e8KswErf) by Senongo Akpem ⦿ The Culture Map (https://lnkd.in/edfyMqhN) by Erin Meyer ⦿ UX Writing & Microcopy (https://lnkd.in/e_ZFu374) by Kinneret Yifrah

🇨🇳 Chinese UX | UI in 5 principles 🤩 Here, 方便是王 Convenience is king, even when it seems “overdone” to Western sensibilities. 👇 Check out the carousel, some choices are really hard to convey by words alone 👇 Here are 5️⃣ (non-exhaustive) rules of thumb: 1) Mobile first first first! Right now, it feels like every major commercial B2C actor wants to create the next super-app. If it’s not powerful enough, it’s not worth users’ time. Each super-app accumulates a bunch of mini-programs. Since cross-navigation is super relevant, the flow from app to app, from app to mini-program and within the mini-program has to be smooth, without “dead ends”.  Strong cross-navigation also limits app fragmentation. 2) Information hyperdensity Design best practices remain applicable, but their application differs widely from the West’s.  Chinese uses a character script, which is a lot denser. To the point that we frequently have vertical nav bars on the left of the screen. You should use more of that vertical space even if you are on mobile and aim for less scrolling. With Chinese, you can afford to do that. Offer more content on the first screen, even if you may be tempted to not overwhelm users. But keep the font size readable: 12pt at least. This hyperdensity doesn’t bother users.  A highly contextual #culture seems to go hand in hand with a (literally) more holistic vision. Westerners go straight to the subject, the Chinese absorb more of the peripheries. Same observation in Japan and South Korea. 3) Extra dose of ads and gamification On Chinese apps, gamified elements that encourage purchase are much more present, and CTAs are intertwined with the content. This different threshold of tolerance is put to good use by marketing here. Admittedly, some gamified elements can even be quite creative! But I still don't know if it's appreciated by users or just tolerated. A good UX research topic. 4) Facilitate networking and group building Reputation is all the more important in a country like China where the group's opinion matters a lot. Highlight features that lets users easily share content to individual users and to user groups. And let users share content to other apps, again, joining the need for seamless cross-navigation. 5) Inform and interact On Chinese apps, the machine initiates more interactions if it supports users.  Compared to its Google Map counterpart, the Baidu Map GPS app NEVER shuts up 😵💫 I reacted badly to the incessant talking at first. In hindsight, it’s understandable. The app wasn't made for people like me. But doesn’t it diminish the feeling of control? Well, no. When the interface informs the user, it’s transparent, welcome and not intrusive. 🌈 I haven't discussed the choice of colors on these apps, which seem to be overall… brighter? Don’t worry, we’ll get to that next week 😉 #UXResearch #UXDesign #CrossCultural #UI #China

Are you generating enough value for users net of the value to your company? Business value can only be created when you create so much value for users, that you can “tax” that value and take some for yourself as a business. If you don’t create any value for your users, then you can’t create value for your business. Ed Biden explains how to solve this in this week's guest post: Whilst there are many ways to understand what your users will value, two techniques in particular are incredibly valuable, especially if you’re working on a tight timeframe: 1. Jobs To Be Done 2. Customer Journey Mapping 𝟭. 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲 (𝗝𝗧𝗕𝗗) “People don’t simply buy products or services, they ‘hire’ them to make progress in specific circumstances.”  – Clayton Christensen The core JTBD concept is that rather than buying a product for its features, customers “hire” a product to get a job done for them … and will ”fire” it for a better solution just as quickly. In practice, JTBD provides a series of lenses for understanding what your customers want, what progress looks like, and what they’ll pay for. This is a powerful way of understanding your users, because their needs are stable and it forces you to think from a user-centric point of view. This allows you to think about more radical solutions, and really focus on where you’re creating value. To use Jobs To Be Done to understand your customers, think through five key steps: 1. Use case – what is the outcome that people want? 2. Alternatives – what solutions are people using now? 3. Progress – where are people blocked? What does a better solution look like? 4. Value Proposition – why would they use your product over the alternatives? 5. Price – what would a customer pay for progress against this problem? 𝟮. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 Customer journey mapping is an effective way to visualize your customer’s experience as they try to reach one of their goals. In basic terms, a customer journey map breaks the user journey down into steps, and then for each step describes what touchpoints the customer has with your product, and how this makes them feel. The touch points are any interaction that the customer has with your company as they go through this flow: • Website and app screens • Notifications and emails • Customer service calls • Account management / sales touch points • Physically interacting with goods (e.g. Amazon), services (e.g. Airbnb) or hardware (e.g. Lime) Users’ feelings can be visualized by noting down: • What they like or feel good about at this step • What they dislike, find frustrating or confusing at this step • How they feel overall By mapping the customer’s subjective experience to the nuts and bolts of what’s going on, and then laying this out in a visual way, you can easily see where you can have the most impact, and align stakeholders on the critical problems to solve.

Your research findings are useless if they don't drive decisions. After watching countless brilliant insights disappear into the void, I developed 5 practical templates I use to transform research into action: 1. Decision-Driven Journey Map Standard journey maps look nice but often collect dust. My Decision-Driven Journey Map directly connects user pain points to specific product decisions with clear ownership. Key components: - User journey stages with actions - Pain points with severity ratings (1-5) - Required product decisions for each pain - Decision owner assignment - Implementation timeline This structure creates immediate accountability and turns abstract user problems into concrete action items. 2. Stakeholder Belief Audit Workshop Many product decisions happen based on untested assumptions. This workshop template helps you document and systematically test stakeholder beliefs about users. The four-step process: - Document stakeholder beliefs + confidence level - Prioritize which beliefs to test (impact vs. confidence) - Select appropriate testing methods - Create an action plan with owners and timelines When stakeholders participate in this process, they're far more likely to act on the results. 3. Insight-Action Workshop Guide Research without decisions is just expensive trivia. This workshop template provides a structured 90-minute framework to turn insights into product decisions. Workshop flow: - Research recap (15min) - Insight mapping (15min) - Decision matrix (15min) - Action planning (30min) - Wrap-up and commitments (15min) The decision matrix helps prioritize actions based on user value and implementation effort, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. 4. Five-Minute Video Insights Stakeholders rarely read full research reports. These bite-sized video templates drive decisions better than documents by making insights impossible to ignore. Video structure: - 30 sec: Key finding - 3 min: Supporting user clips - 1 min: Implications - 30 sec: Recommended next steps Pro tip: Create a library of these videos organized by product area for easy reference during planning sessions. 5. Progressive Disclosure Testing Protocol Standard usability testing tries to cover too much. This protocol focuses on how users process information over time to reveal deeper UX issues. Testing phases: - First 5-second impression - Initial scanning behavior - First meaningful action - Information discovery pattern - Task completion approach This approach reveals how users actually build mental models of your product, leading to more impactful interface decisions. Stop letting your hard-earned research insights collect dust. I’m dropping the first 3 templates below, & I’d love to hear which decision-making hurdle is currently blocking your research from making an impact! (The data in the templates is just an example, let me know in the comments or message me if you’d like the blank versions).

Last week, I coached a product team through a user interview debrief. They were excited! Users had shown enthusiasm for a new feature! 🎉 But when I asked, “What problem does this solve for them?” the room went quiet. 🫣 This happens more often than we’d like to admit. 🧠 The Trap: Mistaking Enthusiasm for Validation When users say, “That sounds great!” we often interpret it as validation. But here's the catch: - Users want to be polite. - They might not fully understand their own needs. - As product teams, we may hear what we want. This is why relying solely on user enthusiasm can lead us astray. 🔍 The Solution: Semi-Structured Interviews We need to dig deeper to understand our users truly. Semi-structured interviews strike the right balance between guidance and flexibility. Key practices include: - Start with hypotheses: Identify what you believe to be true. - Ask open-ended questions: Encourage users to share experiences, not just opinions. - Listen actively: Pay attention to what’s said—and what’s not. - Probe for underlying needs: Seek to understand the 'why' behind their behaviours. This approach helps uncover genuine insights, leading to solutions that truly resonate. 🌟 Imagine the Impact By adopting this method: - Teams build products that solve real problems. - User satisfaction increases. - Resources are invested wisely, reducing wasted effort. It's not just about building features—it's about delivering value. 🦾 Take Action Next time you're planning user interviews: - Prepare a set of hypotheses. - Design questions that explore user experiences. - Remain open to unexpected insights. Remember, the goal is to understand your users, not just confirm your assumptions deeply.

Ever spent months building a product, only to realize no one’s willing to pay for it? I’ve seen this happen more times than I’d like to admit—especially with first-time tech founders. One big reason? They didn’t talk to enough customers/users before building their solution. In some cases, they didn’t talk to anyone at all! Trust me, skipping these interviews is like flying blind—it rarely ends well. Building something people actually want starts here. Here’s what I’ve learned about doing user interviews effectively:   𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 Focus on understanding, not pitching. Speak less. Listen more. Respect their time—15-20 minutes is enough. Ask open-ended questions to dig deeper. Find out if it’s a real pain point, not just a "nice-to-have." 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘀𝗸 What’s the hardest part of this problem? When did it last happen? What caused it? How did you try solving it? Did it work? Why was it so difficult to address? What don’t you love about existing solutions? 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘀𝗸 "Would you buy this if I built it?" (It’s hypothetical and leads to false positives.) "Do you think this is a good idea?" (People want to be polite and will often say yes.) "Would you pay X amount for this?" (Pricing feedback without context isn’t reliable.) The goal is to uncover the truth, not get the answers you want to hear! #startups #startupindia #incubator #management #founder #uservalidation

Safety Innovation Advent: Day 4 - Create a Journey Map for a Safety Process In the lead-up to Christmas, I’m sharing an insight, activity or practical tip each day to help you innovate in health and safety. Today’s activity: Journey map a safety process First: what is journey mapping? At it's core, journey mapping is a great tool to visualise the steps, interactions, and emotions that people experience when engaging with a process. It’s commonly used in customer experience design, but it’s equally valuable in health and safety to highlight pain points, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement in your workflows. By mapping the journey, you gain insights into how well processes support frontline workers and identify opportunities to simplify or enhance them. Here's a high level overview of how to create a journey map: 1️⃣ Choose a process to map Pick a safety-related process that impacts your team, such as: Reporting a hazard | Onboarding a new worker etc. 2️⃣ Define the journey start and endpoint Clearly outline where the process begins and ends. For example, a hazard reporting journey might start when a worker notices an issue and end when the issue is resolved and communicated back to the team. 3️⃣ Break it into steps List every step involved, such as filling out forms, getting approvals, or communicating with others. Be specific; this helps identify bottlenecks or unnecessary complexity. 4️⃣ Identify touchpoints and tools Mark where people interact with forms, technology, or other systems. For example: A worker fills out a paper form (touchpoint: paper form). A supervisor enters the report into a digital system (touchpoint: software). Notifications are sent to a team for resolution (touchpoint: email). 5️⃣ Uncover the pain points: Ask yourself (and your team): Where do delays happen? Are there any confusing steps? What causes frustration or errors? Equally you can do the same for the things that are going well... 6️⃣ Visualise the map Sketch or create a visual representation of the journey, using arrows to show the flow and notes for each step. This can be as simple as a sheet of paper, a whiteboard sketch or a diagram in tools like PowerPoint or Miro - my personal favourite is to use Lucid Charts. Why this matters for safety innovation: A journey map reveals opportunities for improvement and enhances the user experience, making processes more intuitive and effective. Workers who find safety processes easy to follow are more likely to engage with them, leading to better outcomes for everyone. To practice feel free to do this alone, but to employ this approach in your workplace you MUST involve frontline workers when mapping the journey. Their firsthand insights will uncover their unique challenges and ensure the solutions work for the people they’re designed for. Stay tuned for more practical tips in this series by following my profile and the hashtags #SafetyInnovationAdvent #SafetyInnovation #SafetyTech.

While it can be easily believed that customers are the ultimate experts about their own needs, there are ways to gain insights and knowledge that customers may not be aware of or able to articulate directly. While customers are the ultimate source of truth about their needs, product managers can complement this knowledge by employing a combination of research, data analysis, and empathetic understanding to gain a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs and expectations. The goal is not to know more than customers but to use various tools and methods to gain insights that can lead to building better products and delivering exceptional user experiences. ➡️ User Research: Conducting thorough user research, such as interviews, surveys, and observational studies, can reveal underlying needs and pain points that customers may not have fully recognized or articulated. By learning from many users, we gain holistic insights and deeper insights into their motivations and behaviors. ➡️ Data Analysis: Analyzing user data, including behavioral data and usage patterns, can provide valuable insights into customer preferences and pain points. By identifying trends and patterns in the data, product managers can make informed decisions about what features or improvements are most likely to address customer needs effectively. ➡️ Contextual Inquiry: Observing customers in their real-life environment while using the product can uncover valuable insights into their needs and challenges. Contextual inquiry helps product managers understand the context in which customers use the product and how it fits into their daily lives. ➡️ Competitor Analysis: By studying competitors and their products, product managers can identify gaps in the market and potential unmet needs that customers may not even be aware of. Understanding what competitors offer can inspire product improvements and innovation. ➡️ Surfacing Implicit Needs: Sometimes, customers may not be able to express their needs explicitly, but through careful analysis and empathetic understanding, product managers can infer these implicit needs. This requires the ability to interpret feedback, observe behaviors, and understand the context in which customers use the product. ➡️ Iterative Prototyping and Testing: Continuously iterating and testing product prototypes with users allows product managers to gather feedback and refine the product based on real-world usage. Through this iterative process, product managers can uncover deeper customer needs and iteratively improve the product to meet those needs effectively. ➡️ Expertise in the Domain: Product managers, industry thought leaders, academic researchers, and others with deep domain knowledge and expertise can anticipate customer needs based on industry trends, best practices, and a comprehensive understanding of the market. #productinnovation #discovery #productmanagement #productleadership

💡Combining Design Thinking, Lean UX, and Agile A combination of Design Thinking, Lean UX, and Agile methodologies offers a powerful approach to product development—it helps balance user-centered design with efficient concept validation and iterative product development. 1️⃣ User-centered foundation (Design Thinking): Begin by understanding the needs, emotions, and problems of the end-users. ✔ Start by conducting user research to identify and understand user needs. ✔ Gather insights through direct interaction with users (e.g., through interviews, surveys, etc.). Spend time understanding users' behavior, focusing on "why" rather than "what" they do. ✔ After gathering research, prioritize the most critical user insights to guide your design focus. Create a 2x2 matrix to prioritize insights based on impact (high vs low business impact) and feasibility (easy vs hard to implement) ✔ Begin brainstorming potential solutions based on these prioritized insights and formulate a hypothesis. Encourage cross-functional collaboration during brainstorming sessions to generate diverse ideas. 2️⃣ Hypothesis-driven testing (Lean UX): Lean UX helps quickly validate key assumptions. It fits perfectly between Design Thinking's ideation and Agile's development processes, ensuring that critical hypothesis are validated with users before actual development started. ✔ Formulate a testable hypothesis around a potential solution that addresses the user needs uncovered in the Design Thinking phase. ✔ Conduct experiment—develop a Minimum Viable Product (https://lnkd.in/dQg_siZG) to test the hypothesis. Build just enough functionality to test your hypothesis—focus on speed and simplicity. ✔ Based on the experiment's outcome, refine or revise the hypothesis and repeat the cycle. 3️⃣ Iterative product development (Agile): Once the Lean UX process produces validated concepts, Agile takes over for incremental development. Agile's iterative sprints will help you continuously build, test, and refine the concept. Agile complements Lean UX by providing the structure for frequent releases, allowing teams to adapt and deliver value consistently. ✔ Break down work into small, manageable chunks that can be delivered iteratively. ✔ Embrace iterative development—continue refining your product through iterative build-measure-learn sprints. Keep the user feedback loop tight by involving users in sprint reviews or testing sessions. ✔ Gather user feedback after each sprint and adapt the product according to the findings. Measure user satisfaction and track usability metrics to ensure improvements align with user needs. 🖼️ Design thinking, Lean UX and Agile better together by Dave Landis #UX #agile #designthinking #productdesign #leanux #lean