This presentation was given at World Information Architecture Day Dubai in Feb 2015. It discusses how to go about conducting user experience (UX) research for any project in order to create a localised experience for our users based on their unique need. It is based on Erika Hall's Just Enough Research and how user experience practice was applied to creating a university multilingual website in Abu Dhabi. Other reference materials include Mike Monteiro's Design is a Job and Leah Buley's The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide.

1. Designing Multilingual
Experiences
Jonathan Steingiesser
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@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

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3. @stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

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7. UX Tools
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uxuae.ae
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11. What is UX ?
• a mindset
• focused on delivering
value
• inspires the right
kinds of ideas
• guides decisions
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“User experience is the overall effect created by the interactions and
perceptions that someone has when using a product or service”.

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Why should we design a multilingual experience?

15. Why should we design a multilingual experience?
• Reach the target audience in their language
• Reach a wider audience
• Expand to new markets
• Improve usability
• Search engine optimization
• Government regulations
• Company policy
15@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

16. Things to consider when building multilingual sites
• Who is the target audience?
• How many languages do you need to support?
• Does the user interface need to be fully translated?
• Do you have content in all the languages? Is all the
content translated?
• What happens to content that has not been translated?
16@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

17. Without Research it’s not UX
• Research is a tool—a periscope offering you a better
view of your surroundings.
• Once you start getting answers, you’ll keep asking more
questions. And that skeptical mind-set is more valuable
than any specific methodology.
• The better you know the current state of things and why
they’re like that, the better you will be positioned to
innovate
17@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

18. Without Research it’s not UX
• Your desire to find out needs should be stronger than
your desire to predict. Otherwise you’ll be a mess of
confirmation bias, looking for answers that confirm what
you already assume.
• Unless this knowledge comes from recent inquiry specific
to your current goals, a fresh look will be helpful.
Familiarity breeds assumptions and blind spots.
• Research needs to be integrated into process and
workflow or it will get shoved in a corner.
18@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

19. Reasons people give to forgo Research
• We don’t have the time
• We don’t have the money
• We don’t have the expertise
• We’re already doing A/B testing
• Everyone wants better products, faster
• No one wants to read a report
19@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

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Form
Questions
Gather
Data
Analyse
Data

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Form
Questions
Think
Analyse
Data
Observe
Interview
Experiment
Read

22. Plan and prepare for the
research
In the beginning, don’t worry about getting
everything right. If you don’t know, go with your
best guess. Since research is about seeking out
new information, you’re going to encounter new
situations and unpredictable circumstances. Make
friends with the unexpected. And prepare to
change the plan you’ve made to adapt once you
have facts.
@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

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25. Good Questions
• Specific
• Actionable
• Practical
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26. A Bad Question
• What do people think about
pets?
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27. A Better Question
• How do single urban adults
choose and acquire a pet?
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28. The Best Question
• The unknown with the most
risk
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29. How to do bad user research:
Ask people what they want
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30. How to do bad user research:
Ask people what they like
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31. Never ask people what
they want or like
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32. No matter how much research you do,
there will still be things you wish you’d
known, and there are some things you
can only learn once your design is out
there in the world.
Design is an iterative process.
@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

33. This is not a solo adventure… everyone should be
involved in research at a deep level
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34. Designing NYUAD in Arabic
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35. Business Needs
• Stakeholder interviews with internal departments -
admissions, campus life, academic registrar, athletics etc.
35@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

36. User Needs
• Research into existing Customer service!
• One-on-One Interviewing current students, current staff,
prospective students, prospective parents, school
counsellors, professors and experts in Arabic etc.
• Persona Development
• User Journeys / Experience Maps
• Card sorting in Arabic
• Usability Testing
36@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

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DEMO

39. Card sorting in Arabic
• Sourcing a translation service
• Translating and testing the card sorting experience
• Conducting card sorting
• Analysis
• Proposed recommendation
39@stemaco @uxAbuDhabi @ux_UAE

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44. Sample of translated words for the IA
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46. Acknowledgements
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translationisux.com
beyondtranslation.com.au
Just Enough Research Design is a Job
The UX Team of One

47. Questions?