Usability Testing in China - Tips and Tricks (Chui Tan / Dan Szuc)

Usability Testing in China:
Tips and Tricks

Daniel Szuc
Apogee
@dszuc

Chui Chui Tan
cxpartners
@ChuiSquared

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

China 101

Some facts and insights about China....


Yummy Food

Food plays an important role in
Chinese culture. Several dishes
in the middle of a table and
everyone shares the meals.
Business dinner is useful and it
helps to bring everyone closer.


It’s big

China is big:

34 provinces with wildly
different lifestyle, culture, food,
languages...


Diverse


Different


Change

China community and their way
of thinking is vastly changing.


They no longer copy, they also
create and design.

PS: Guess which is the original
Copy > create
design of iPhone and which is
the copy version?


Old

Old parts of China retains its
beauty.


Whilst, modern China such as
Shanghai is constantly
changing.

New


27 countries e EU)
(Member States of th

319million

Why China?

Internet population for 27 countries
(Member State of the EU) by the
end of 2009 is 319 million.

Now... let’s compare with China, a
single country...


C hina
384million

It’s 65 million higher than the
total of the Internet population
of the 27 countries.

Let’s put this figure into
context...


s 1.3 b
illion population
1/3 of China’


China’s Internet population is
steadily increasing each year.

China soon to be the world’s
largest online consumer 1 million people 384
market.
298

210

137
79 94 111
59

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/38692385@N03/3627938925/


Insights

Tips & tricks

Misconceptions

What do you need to know or
be aware of when preparing
and performing user testing in
China?


Where do you research?

It’s a big country.
Geographically, where should
you test?
Is it necessary to test across
the country?
http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/sidelong/262893893/

Focus on the top 10 provinces
with highest number of
Internet users, where most of
your target users locate.

08. Liaoning
04. Shandong
03. Jiangsu
06. Hubei 09. Shanghai
10. Sichuan 02. Zhejiang
07. Hunan 05. Fujian
01. Guangdong


They are at the Southern and
East Coast of China.

08. Liaoning
04. Shandong
03. Jiangsu
06. Hubei 09. Shanghai
10. Sichuan 02. Zhejiang
07. Hunan 05. Fujian
Southern 01. Guangdong
China


4.2%
Beijing Shanghai Guangdong Tianjin Zhejiang

If you can only carry out user
testing in one or two cities...


?
Who do you recruit?

85%
35.2% Your target users are more
31.5% likely to be the young
generation.

Note that these numbers might
change in the coming years.

We’ve more tips for you on
17.6% testing with older generation in
China.

9.6%

4.2%
1.5%
0.4%
<10 11-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69

Age Range

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/ananunez/364979411/sizes/o/

In the recruitment
screener, they might
mention that they’ve
used the Internet to do
bookings. There’s
higher possibility in
China that they have
never done it
themselves, but via

We do, but we don’t
partners, children or
secretary, especially for
older generation (e.g.
over 40s).

TIPS: Pay more attention when recruiting in China. Discuss with
your recruiters. Ask more specific questions during recruitment
such as “tell me briefly about your last online booking”, rather
that “have you previously booked a hotel online?

In China, recording is
often being related to
politic or media
press.

Tips: Avoid
participants from
refusing to take part
only when they are
already at the testing
venue, well inform
the participants if the
session is going to be
recorded and make
sure they clearly
understand the
purpose of recording
before you recruit
them.

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/wolfhound/2848941024/sizes/l/


Unlike the West, Chinese need
to be comfortable and trust you
before they can open up and
won’t be afraid to tell you what
they think and feel.

Tips: Start your testing with
quick smalltalk (it could be
anything: food, weather,
holiday). Make them feel
comfortable and gain their trust
within the first 1-2 minutes. Be
sincere, not robotic or
aggressive. Empower the

Small talk & trust participants and give them
confidence to start.
http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/xiaming/51212361/sizes/l/

Be ﬂexible & active

Be flexible, put the tasks into their
context by relating the questions
to their environment and culture.

Show them that you are listening
and interact with them.

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/aznongbri/2078438459/

Communications

Younger generations are more
opinionated and more open in giving
explanations of what they are thinking.
For many older generations, more effort
might be needed to gather their honest
opinions.
Tips: Ask questions which require them
to elaborate instead of ‘yes’ or ‘no’
http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/laburbuja/175873516/

Dig deeper

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/wheatﬁelds/4502221567/

Final thoughts …


http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2010/04/
jan_chipchase_l.html


Immerse
The best way to understand China is to
immerse yourself in their culture.


Want to learn more?

Some relevant articles....


http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/03/user-
friendly-2009-design-in-asia.php


http://apogeehk.com/archives/moderating-user-interviews-in-
china/


http://www.cxpartners.co.uk/thoughts/international_differences.htm


http://www.upachina.org/userfriendly2010/1/

Chui Chui Tan
Thank you
@ChuiSquared
chui.tan@cxpartners.co.uk

Daniel Szuc
@dszuc
dszuc@apogeehk.com


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