Tutorial

Learning objectives
Material to be covered
How the class will be conducted
Tutorial registration

 

Usable for the world:  A practical guide to international user studies

This is a one (1) day program held on Thursday 12th July 2001

Separate registration

IWIPS registration only covers the Workshop programme. It is necessary to register directly with Johnston and Associates to attend this pre-workshop tutorial. The fee is £200 for this concentrated training session (normally run in 1.5 days at LISA). A link to the registration site is provided near the end of this page.

Learning Objectives

This class has the following learning objectives. In this tutorial, participants will learn:

Critical steps in planning an international user study including:

 

How to prepare the organization for the study

 

How to modify a study for international use

 

How to find and prepare a location and facility

 

How to prepare and train a team

 

How to prepare yourself as a leader of the process

 

What to expect on-site including:

 

How to work with the facility

 

How to deal with common problems and emergencies

 

How to conduct the study

 

What to expect upon return home

In addition, participants will practice by planning a user study of a website in Europe and Asia, and observe a videotape of testing of websites in Hong Kong.

Material to be covered

Because we have done studies in so many countries, this tutorial will be liberally sprinkled with case examples – especially examples of things that varied between countries, and of specific issues and problems that we have encountered. Participants’ own experiences, both in doing user studies, and in international travel, will also be solicited and encouraged, since this, too, helps to make the material more accessible and personal. Wherever possible, practical examples and specific techniques or "tips" will be given. Since we have done studies in 16 countries, we have many examples that can illustrate and explain points as they arise.

As the web is expanding and as more and more companies are seeking international markets, there is an increased awareness of the need to understand "users" and customers around the world. At the same time, there is an increasing awareness of usability and user research at the highest levels of companies. These combine to create a felt need for information on how to do international studies. We have seen this in the past several years in an ever-increasing number of requests for international consulting. In the past two years alone, we have done three times the number of international studies over previous years. In addition, it is quite common for us to get phone calls from friends and colleagues asking for information on how to set up such studies for their companies and/or clients.

There are no "ready sources" such as books or articles, covering the topic, and most of the information that exists to date is informal and personal.

How the class will be conducted

As mentioned above, this tutorial will include a mix of lecture, group discussion, videotape and small group hands-on exercises. Class participation – in discussions, exercises, and asking questions – is a key part of this tutorial. People stay involved when they participate. They also learn more. Of course, inviting class participation makes the role of the facilitator/teacher more difficult, since this can lead to tangents and occasionally, to "over-participation" by one or more participants. This is where experience is critical. We have facilitated hundreds of similar sessions, and know when to curtail discussion and when to encourage it.

Tutorial registration

This one day workshop costs £200 ($285 US) per attendee if booked before 10th June 2001, otherwise £210 ($295 US) if booked after 10th June 2001.

Please complete the registration form which is linked below. The completed form must be returned directly to Susan Dray at Dray & Associates, Inc. The contact addresses are at the foot of the form.

The form is provided in Adobe Acrobat format. You will need The Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the document.

About The presenter

Susan M. Dray
Dray & Associates, Inc.
Minneapolis, MN USA

 Email Susan M. Dray dray@acm.org

 


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