Developing Strong Working Relations between UXR and Internationalization Teams
i18n UXR - Part 1
TL;DR:
Be Clear About Your Value-add
Build Empathy With UXR
Communicate Your Value-Add to UXR
Execute …. And Repeat
In today's complex and interconnected world, developing products that serve a diverse range of users is crucial. To achieve this, conducting international user experience research (UXR) is a vital step, it allows us to gain insight into the cultural and linguistic specificities of the target markets.
However, conducting such research can be challenging, particularly when it requires using languages unfamiliar to the product team members. Internationalization and Localization teams can play a crucial role in overcoming these challenges by supporting UXR teams in their work. This article outlines strategies for building strong working relationships between the two teams.
Step-by-Step Guide
1) Be Clear About Your Value-add
An Internationalization team can bring a wealth of value to international research. Thus first, reflect on knowledge, skills, and services that make your team unique and how they can add value.
Here are a few samples:
As localization experts, you can act as intermediaries between UXR teams and research participants. You can support translating communication in both directions via internal and external resources.
By conducting screening activities and competitor analysis with local products, you can gather valuable insights into various markets, providing valuable context for research.
You can provide technical and operational guidance to UXR teams, such as recommending methods for scaling Qualtrics surveys for multiple languages.
You may have established relationships with vendors and other external partners that provide regional resources and local research capabilities, providing UXR teams access to valuable resources.
You can provide valuable advice and guidance throughout the study discovery, design, and execution phases, ensuring that research is conducted in a culturally and linguistically sensitive manner.
You have a deep understanding of the nuances of language and cultural norms and are well-suited to creating localized content that effectively communicates with local audiences.
You are responsible for managing the internationalization aspects of products, as a technology owner, you can apply study learnings directly to your platform to improve user experience
2) Build Empathy With UXR
Enhance knowledge and understanding of the UXR team's perspective and challenges.
Take the time to familiarize yourself with your UXR colleagues' priorities and goals, it will aid in tailoring your communication and support to better suit their needs. Start by setting up 1:1 meetings with researchers and connecting with them through existing relationships, such as product managers.
While each team is different, here are a few common needs that UXR teams may have:
Understand their users:
UXR teams strive to understand their users and eliminate any preconceptions. They aim to gather insights that can drive innovation and assess design effectiveness. Inquiry about their primary struggles and offer your expertise on how these difficulties may impact international markets.Localize research methods:
UXR teams want to know how to adapt research methods to local norms, so be mindful of cultural differences when selecting research methods and survey questions. For example, in some cultures, it may be considered rude to ask personal questions, so consider using more indirect methods like contextual inquiry or ethnography.Scalability:
Efficiency and scalability are key for them, so prioritizing their efforts is vital. Your input could be beneficial in this regard.Actionable results:
UXR teams have the desire to turn their findings into actionable results. They may require support on how to apply the insights from the research studies to the design and development of the product.Inclusive Products:
Another important need for UXR teams is to build inclusive products that cater to a diverse range of users. As localization experts, you are well-versed in understanding and adapting to cultural norms and nuances, which can be of great value to UXR teams in their pursuit of creating inclusive products that truly cater to the needs of users all over the world.
Recommendation: Kickstarter Projects
To further support understanding in both directions, you can offer smaller "Kickstarter" projects, such as identifying a list of countries that will give the most return on investment for their research budget. For example, if a team has already conducted research in the US, Canada, UK, and France, running a study in Germany might give the most valuable insights. Help the team identify more interesting markets to explore.
3) Communicate Your Value-Add to UXR
Highlight the benefits and advantages of working with your team to the UXR team.
It's time to spread the word about the incredible value that your localization team can bring to UXR teams! Your goal is to make sure potential partners understand all the ways in which your team can support their work.
To effectively communicate your value proposition, consider aligning it with common UXR process models.
For example, UXR studies often follow these key phases:
Discovery: Understanding the problem to be solved.
Planning: Developing a research plan.
Execution: Conducting the research.
Debrief: Analyzing and communicating the findings.
Follow-up actions: Applying the learnings in product development.
By mapping your team's strengths and capabilities to each phase of the UXR process, you can clearly demonstrate the value that you can bring to the table. Use your newfound understanding of your peers' needs and your team's value proposition to make a compelling case for collaboration.
Sample Capabilities per Study Phase:
Here are some examples of the capabilities for market-agnostic roles like Localization Program Managers. It serves as inspiration for the value that the role can provide, it is not an exhaustive list.
Discovery:
As a Localization Program Manager, you can provide valuable input on the broader market context and help prioritize research focus. You can surface any relevant known problems coming from international customers and give a broader market perspective.Planning:
During the planning phase, you can offer execution support options, and support with participant recruiting, vendor sourcing, and survey translation. You can also offer expertise in survey design, including helping to design research materials that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.Execution:
During the execution phase, you can participate in user interviews. This will help to ensure that a deep understanding of cultural and linguistic nuances is taken into account, and also enhance the understanding of the UX research team of the international markets.Debrief:
After the research is completed, you can share the learnings with the internationalization team members, and help to bridge the gap between research and the localization process.Follow-up actions:
Finally, you can work with product teams to inform the development of localized user interfaces and adjust localization processes to address any issues that surfaced during the studies. Additionally, you can help fix any newly identified user interface issues, ensuring that the product is not only translated but also adapted to the local market and cultural norms.
Same as above, just for country-specific roles like Language Managers:
Discovery:
As a Language Manager, you can support a deeper understanding of local users by providing insights into the specific language and culture of the market in question. This can help to ensure that the research is tailored to the target audience, and can uncover unique insights that may not be apparent to those less familiar with the language and culture.Planning:
During the planning phase, you can help ensure that the language used in UXR materials, such as survey questions, consent forms, and interview scripts, is accurate and appropriate for the target audience. You can review and edit materials to ensure that the language is clear and effective and that any cultural or linguistic nuances are taken into account.Execution:
During the execution phase, you can participate in user interviews as a Language Manager. This will help to deepen the understanding of the specific market or language and ensure that the research is tailored to the target audience's culture, language, and needs.Debrief:
After the research is completed, as a Language Manager, you can join the discussions about the specific findings and provide valuable insights by adding cultural and linguistic context. This can help the research team to better understand and interpret the results by providing information about the cultural background of the participants, and the meaning of specific idiomatic expressions or cultural references that may not be familiar to those outside of the culture and language.Follow-up actions:
Finally, you can help update key terminology and style guides for translators to ensure that the localized content is accurate and appropriate for the target audience. This will also help to maintain consistency across the different translations of the product.
Which formats and channels to use?
There are several methods for conveying your framework:
Presentation: Showcase your team
Give an exciting and informative presentation to the UXR team, for example during one of their team meetings. Highlight your team's unique capabilities, roles, responsibilities, and services, and share some real-world examples of the successful projects you've worked on.Documentation: Share the details
Make it easy for UXR teams to find out more about your team by providing written information through your company's blog, wiki, or other communication channels. Include contact information and self-service options so that they can reach out to you easily.Blog: Share your successes
Share some of the great results your team has achieved by publishing case studies and success stories through your company's communication channels. Highlight specific projects that have been particularly impactful, such as the "kickstarter" projects mentioned above, that allow UXR teams to see the kind of value you can bring to the table.
4) Execute …. And Repeat
After you share your message and demonstrate the incredible value that your team can bring to UXR teams, researchers will (fingers crossed) start reaching out to you in droves. Remember that building strong working relationships takes time and effort, so don't get discouraged if it takes a bit for everything to come together. As you move into execution and work on multiple projects together, you and your peers will continue to learn and grow together.
With time and persistence, you'll be able to build an outstanding international user research program that will help ensure that your products truly serve a diverse range of users.
Topic Preview: Content Testing and more
This is only the beginning of the journey! In future posts, I want to delve into the specifics of how to conduct research for international audiences - like how to execute content testing or how to effectively prioritize which markets to focus on. I'm excited to share more tips, tricks, and examples of success stories. So, stay tuned, and keep an eye out for more valuable insights!