Chapter 6 - Global user research methods

Abstract

This chapter explores the methods of conducting global research. Ethnographic research is well suited for identifying issues that other research methods cannot, and is particularly useful when conducting global research because one often does not know what kind of issues could be found in countries with which one is unfamiliar. Focus groups can be used when doing global user research because it is sometimes not sufficient to test an interface for usability problems only. Focus group research is conducted for a deeper understanding of the local users to compliment the data obtained from the testing. It is much more efficient to have a focus group to discuss the problems in a single session than to organize field trips to the locations of the users. Another technique for conducting global research is the eye tracking method. Finally, the combination of Web analytics and usability testing is a very valuable approach to evaluation. When doing global usability testing, these combined methods are especially beneficial; they can be used in the preparation of usability testing, validation of results, and in support of the process of continuous optimization.