My top 5 lessons learned from a year spent doing user research in Asia. These slides were prepared for a talk at Mozilla on May 10, 2012.

1. One year
Three primary countries
Top 5 Lessons Learned Delhi
China
Beijing
Shanghai
Tokyo
Japan
User Research in Asia
India
Mumbai
Bangalore
May 10, 2012 • Mozilla
Carissa Carter
@snowflyzone

2. Hong Kong - based
China, India, Japan - focused
Top 5 Lessons Learned Delhi
China
Beijing
Shanghai
Tokyo
Japan
User Research in Asia
India
Mumbai
Bangalore
Meta more than method
Cultural more than specific

3. (1) Understand the enhanced
impact of recent history.
Example: China

4. China
Taiwan
Macau Hong Kong

5. 4.9 trillion
knowledge
service
nominal GDP (USD)
manufacturing
agrarian
Great
leap
forward Cultural Revolution
1958 1961 1966 1976
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
closed economy part planned, part open economy
These factors shape the modern Chinese workforce.

6. The events we’ve experienced sculpt our lives and
inform our behaviors. In China, we see one more
layer that shapes today’s knowledge workers.

7. lived abroad from China
(1) Self Starter
• Cultural Revolution Generation
• born, raised, educated in Mainland China
• very little Western exposure
• immediately entrepreneurial when the
economy opened up.
6
Western
5
Hybrid
older younger
4
Returnee
1 2 3
Self-Starter Conformist
Optimist
least common
MNC management gap
lived only in China
Age + time spent abroad = 6 archetypes of worker

8. lived abroad from China
(2) Conformist
• Cultural Revolution and Transition
Generations
• lived only in Mainland China
• accept Communism
• accept information provided to them by
6 the Chinese government
Western
5
Hybrid
older younger
4
Returnee
1 2 3
Self-Starter Conformist
Optimist
least common
MNC management gap
lived only in China
Age + time spent abroad = 6 archetypes of worker

9. lived abroad from China
(3) Optimist
• Opportunity Generation
• born, raised, educated in Mainland China
• possible Western exposure via
employment (themselves or a friend) at a
MNC
6 • life in China is great
Western
5
Hybrid
older younger
4
Returnee
1 2 3
Self-Starter Conformist
Optimist
least common
MNC management gap
lived only in China
Age + time spent abroad = 6 archetypes of worker

10. lived abroad from China
(4) Returnee
• Transition Generation
• born and raised in Mainland China,
educated overseas
• now live in China
• many advantages for these sea turtles
6
Western
5
Hybrid
older younger
4
Returnee
1 2 3
Self-Starter Conformist
Optimist
least common
MNC management gap
lived only in China
Age + time spent abroad = 6 archetypes of worker

11. lived abroad from China
(5) Hybrid
• individuals of Chinese descent
• born, raised, educated in Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia
• now live in China
• East-West understanding
6 • highly sought-after by MNCs
Western
5
Hybrid
older younger
4
Returnee
1 2 3
Self-Starter Conformist
Optimist
least common
MNC management gap
lived only in China
Age + time spent abroad = 6 archetypes of worker

12. lived abroad from China
(6) Western
• born, raised, educated in a Western
country
• live permanently in China
• often sent by MNCs
6
Western
5
Hybrid
older younger
4
Returnee
1 2 3
Self-Starter Conformist
Optimist
least common
MNC management gap
lived only in China
Age + time spent abroad = 6 archetypes of worker

13. lived
economy opens
40 birth rate (per thousand)
abroad
Western
30
20 Hybrid
1958 1961 1966 1976
Great leap Cultural Revolution
10 Returnee
forward
birth year 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
age 51-66 today age 34-51 today age 25-34 today age 16-25 today
Degree to which
the present Survivor Cultural Revolution Transition Opportunity
China Generations
knowledge work- Generation Generation Generation Generation
force has lived
abroad or stayed
in Mainland China Baby Boomer Self Starter Gen X Conformist Gen Y (Millenial)
Optimist Western Generations
lived in
mainland
China
Knowledge worker archetypes in more detail.

14. recap
(1) Understand the enhanced
impact of recent history.
What events have shaped your target
users? How does this affect their behavior
or attitudes as related to your product?

15. (2) Find the momentum
of the population.
Example: India

16. China
Pakistan New Delhi
Nepal
Bhutan
India Calcutta
Bangladesh
Myanmar
Mumbai
Hyderabad
Bangalore
Chennai
Sri Lanka

17. 70+
50-69
!
Under 20
Under 35
35-49
20-34
1.2 billion people. 800 million under 35.
World’s largest youth population.

18. Signs of success: motorbike, car, home.

19. “One hundred and fifty years of
Mongol rule, and 200 years of
British rule? We were deprived
for a long time. We were ready
for 1991.”
Entrepreneurial drive: laying pipes to bring water.

20. recap
(2) Find the momentum
of the population.
Where does the energy of your users come
from? How will you tap into it? What role
do religion, politics, or other factors play?

21. (3) Tap into self-perceptions.
Example: Japan

22. Russia
Sapporo
Sendai
March 11, 2011
earthquake epicenter
S. Korea Tokyo
Kyoto
Hiroshima
Yokohama
Osaka
Fukuoka
China
Japan
Taiwan

23. Western conception Eastern conception
of Self of Self
“To thine own self be true” “Where self is, truth is not.
-Shakespeare Where truth is, self is not.”
-Buddha
• analytic • holistic
• ego-focused emphasis on stability • balance focused
• need resolution of contradiction • embrace contradiction
• individualist • collectivist and interdependent
• cultural mandate to define unique • dialectical society means
attributes and express and affirm acknowledgement of transience
them
Start with opposites but be aware of blurring lines.

24. In their own eyes: quick to act
China
China
is more indecisive than
Singapore
Japan is less aggressive than Singapore loud quiet
is quieter than India
India
Japan
contemplative
Understand self-stated relationships to neighbors.

25. hierarchical flat
collectivist individualist
worker bees free thinkers
older means wiser ability trumps experience
what others think is most important what I feel is most important
personal collaborative
fixed free address
closed open
walls benching
furniture as commodity furniture helps performance
uniform seating ergonomic seating
heavy paper use mostly digital documents
technology standards employee selected equipment
energy from the code energy from the crowd
passive world participant active world contributor
set work hours work time flexible
long commute OK need a clear path home
meeting-heavy casual collaboration
Create and use spectrums to visualize trends.

26. recap
(3) Tap into self-perceptions.
How does the culture you are working
with view itself with respect to its
neighbors? The world? How might these
perceptions affect your product?

27. (4) Use images as language.
Everywhere.

28. Use images to probe for aspiration and description.

29. recap
(4) Use images as language.
With a language and cultural barrier,
how might you use images to understand
the high-level needs of your users?

30. (5) Know what you’re up
against and leverage it.
Example: China

31. Change in China is top down vs. bottom up.

32. recap
(5) Know what you’re up
against and leverage it.
What barriers stand in the way of
people adopting your product or
experience? How can you use this
constraint to your advantage?

33. Top 5 Lessons Learned
User Research in Asia
(1) Understand the enhanced impact of recent history.
(2) Find the momentum of the population.
(3) Tap into self-perceptions.
(4) Use images as language.
(5) Know what you’re up against and leverage it.

34. thank you.
questions?
carissa.carter@gmail.com
@snowflyzone
snowflyzone.com
paralleldesignlabs.com
screemagazine.com
about.me/carissacarter