Challenges with User Research Abroad

written by Mindy Maxwell

Last spring (2011) I spent three months in Delhi, India, conducting research for an mHealth study. Prior to leaving for Delhi, I had made preliminary contacts, and arranged potential collaborators, translators, and guides (local to Delhi) to assist me in the field. I had also read extensively about India to prepare myself for cultural and environmental differences. Despite my preparation, many challenges arose and things changed, upon my arrival Delhi.

Perhaps the most significant obstacle came a few days after I arrived in Delhi– my IRB submission was rejected, which meant I would not have direct access to the population I had intended to work with. I had to rethink and revise my research plan accordingly. How could I obtain relevant, useful, and representative data if I could not obtain direct access to the target population for my study? The IRB required informed consent because the population– poor, lower caste, pregnant Indian women– is considered “vulnerable”. Informed consent sounds good in theory, but as a construct of western culture, without extensive adaptation to accommodate local customs, culture, and socio-economic climate, I was not comfortable using it with this population.

Many of the women representing the target population for my study, have little education, are low to non-literate, and do not know how to write their name. If required to provide a signature, many would provide a thumbprint. Further, language used in the informed consent document, even if translated to local language or dialect, is not constructed using words and concepts familiar to this group. I also learned this population, based on previous poor experience, tend to associate official and formal sorts of transactions and documents with government, organizations, and processes they do not trust, which I felt would further impact data collected.

Next, as a single, white, western female, I had not anticipated how difficult it would be for me to get around in Delhi, and to accomplish simple, daily tasks. I had not anticipated the physical and mental toll environmental factors such high temperatures, dust, and air pollution would have on me. In Delhi it is custom for women to be covered to ankles, over shoulders, and down to mid arm, which I found particularly challenging when temperatures reached 100+ degrees.

Scheduling and conducting meetings in India was also different to what I am used to in the US and Europe. In some cases after first contact, I waited 4-6 weeks to meet someone. A number of people I'd scheduled to meet did not show up, nor did they phone ahead to cancel. Many conversations/ interviews involved me speaking with and through a translator. For example, I had a number of conversations with a human rights representative (who translated back and forth throughout conversations) and a local community leader– these conversations were a great source of good information. There were many occasions, though, during which I was unsure things had been conveyed and understood as intended, in both directions. Further, in some cases, conversation would digress off topic in Hindi, and go on for up to10 minutes before I was given a translation, at which time I realized we were off topic. Because of the casual, friendly, and welcoming tone set by the people with whom I was speaking, I did not feel it was appropriate to interrupt.

Another issue I experienced with potential collaborators and partners was the request to include or review things that were out of the scope of my research. This made collaboration challenging. I had to be sure to adhere to the focus and goals of my study, while trying to keep collaborators happy as well.

Finally, behavior of community members observed varied depending upon which NGO I was with. Each NGO served a different function and had a different role in the communities in which they worked. Each, consequently, received a different reaction from people within the given communities.

These are just a few of the experiences I had and was able to learn from during my time in Delhi– a few unexpected turns of events. I have learned the unexpected is to be expected when conducting research that crosses not only geographic borders, but cultural and socioeconomic borders as well.

Do traditional HCI researchers– who have primarily focused research efforts to date in developed markets– have a place in international development? I believe we do, but our methods and techniques (in order to be relevant and useful) will need to adapt to accommodate customs, culture, and socio-economic and environmental conditions, which are very different from our own.