UX ACROSS BORDERS

In 2021, HiveTracks received a grant to localize our mobile beekeeping app for beekeepers in both Uzbekistan and Ethiopia. Specifically, the grant wanted us to focus on women beekeepers in these two countries and how to best localize our mobile app to support Uzbek and Ethiopian beekeepers in their beekeeping operations.

BACKGROUND

In the United States and many European countries, beekeeping is a hobby. It’s a challenging and fulfilling pastime that not only helps honey bees, but also the environment.

However, for many people in the world, especially in developing countries and the Global South, beekeeping is a livelihood. It is a means to support one’s family, a trade that often transcends generations. HiveTracks wanted to understand how technology could serve as a tool to support beekeepers in these two countries and how our beekeeping app could best be localized for a more personalized user-experience.

The initial question I set out to answer was how did beekeeping practices and challenges in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia differ from beekeeping practices in the U.S. What were the similarities? How was beekeeping different for women in these countries versus men?

PHASE 1

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS

The best way to learn what beekeeping is like in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia is obviously to talk directly to beekeepers! I specifically wanted to talk 1-on-1 with beekeepers instead of a group, because it was important to me that each beekeeper felt comfortable enough to share their individual experiences, opinions, and ideas. Often when in groups, some participants can lead the discussion, while others are too shy to speak up. More so, women in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, as part of their culture, do not typically share their opinions in contrast to men.

Talking one-on-one creates a comfortable and safe-environment where female beekeepers can feel free to answer questions and share ideas without constraints.

CHALLENGES

The key challenges to conducting these one-on-one interviews during 2021 was:

  1. The pandemic

  2. Time zones

  3. Language barriers

  4. Technology barriers

To address each of these issues we decided to conduct interviews remotely over Zoom, which required stable wi-fi and laptops, a central meeting location for beekeepers, and translators. Participation was voluntary.

Covid-19 precautions and intensity varied in the US than in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia; some chose to wear masks, others were not concerned. While I worried about creating an environment that could transmit coronavirus, the participants were not. They wore masks if they wanted, and the groups were kept very small. 

While it was easy to provide a central location for beekeepers in Uzbekistan with stable wi-fi, it was a big challenge in Ethiopia. 

Another key challenge was time zones! The interviews took place in the morning in both Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, but for me in Los Angeles, it was 9 PM until sometimes 3 AM! I had to alter my sleep schedule and drink a lot of coffee.

For both locations, we hired amazing translators who translated my questions and the beekeepers answers. It was magical. The language barriers melted away and we were able to connect on different sides of the world!

In total, I interviewed 24 beekeepers in Uzbekistan and 20 beekeepers in Ethiopia, almost all of them women. I gathered demographic information, but also learned about their individual approaches to beekeeping. The eldest beekeeper I interviewed was in her 70s; the youngest was only 12!

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE INTERVIEWS

A few key takeaways from the interviews:

  • Beekeeping practices were similar between Uzbekistan and US beekeepers, but very different in Ethiopia

  • Beekeepers in all locations faced the same diseases; however, many pests were regional

  • Beekeepers in Uzbekistan were very concerned with pesticide use, which contaminated their honey and made it difficult to sell their honey outside of Uzbekistan

  • Beekeeping poses certain challenges for women that do not exist for male beekeepers

Here is a short presentation I put together to sum up my findings from the Uzbekistan interviews.

PHASE 2

PROTOTYPE TESTING

After synthesizing all the information I gathered during the informational interviews, I set about to design prototypes for 3 key features and user flows in the app. There were key differences in terms of beekeeping practices in the two countries that had to be integrated into pre-existing user flows, so I had to create different prototypes for Uzbekistan and Ethiopia. 

However, the trickiest part was that the language in the app had to be translated. 

Translating the prototypes was crucial—participants must perform prototype testing in their native languages. 

This began a rigorous translation process in which I created a spreadsheet of each line of text in every prototype screen and handed it off to our translators, who worked through each translation carefully before sending back the spreadsheet. I then copied and pasted each line in the prototypes, so that participants could experience the prototypes in their own language.

Translating the prototypes was crucial—participants must perform prototype testing in their native languages. Doing so made it very easy to conduct the prototype tests and receive constructive feedback and ideas from the beekeepers. It also allowed us to fine-tune the beekeeping terminology in the prototype, which was needed in order to truly localize the app.

SYNTHESIS & ITERATIONS

Several key patterns emerged in the prototype testing, and I was able to create a prioritized list of improvements, which we could implement in localizing our live app to Uzbek and Ethiopian beekeepers. 

What was important about these iterations, is that the beekeepers in Uzbekistan continued to be involved, offering feedback and suggestions well after the prototype testing was over. Because of this, they truly became part of the design process.

CHALLENGES & LESSONS LEARNED

The biggest challenge was the technology barriers in Ethiopia. It required a lot of effort for our Ethiopian partners to find locations with stable wi-fi in order to conduct the prototype-testing sessions. During one occasion, connection was completely lost and the translator had to actually conduct the prototype session on his own. He actually did a great job with the set of questions I’d shared with him, and he was able to garner valuable feedback from the beekeepers.

Additionally, the participants in Uzbekistan were comfortable using mobile phones; however, participants in Ethiopia needed mobile phone training sessions to help them better understand the app

The second biggest challenge is the translation process involved in localizing any app is MESSY. While it was completely manageable for prototype testing, it is an entirely different undertaking for implementing in live mobile apps—a process so complex it warrants its own case study.

VISITING UZBEKISTAN

After localizing the mobile beekeeping app for beekeepers in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, we were able to meet beekeepers in Uzbekistan in-person. At first, I planned to travel to both locations. However, a civil war unfortunately broke out in Ethiopia during that time, and we were advised by our Ethiopian partners to not visit at that time. 

But I boarded a plane for Tashkent, Uzbekistan and met the beekeepers I worked with over Zoom in-person, in both Tashkent and Bukhara (both amazing cities). I tasted Uzbek honey, ate the most delicious food (seriously–Uzbek food is delicious), visited apiaries and the beekeeping program at A Tashkent University, and visited a lot of beautiful castles, artisan shops and a bookstore (where I bought a copy of Harry Potter in Uzbek and a Dostoevsky novel in Russian).

It was the best UX experience of my career, and I’ll always cherish it.

User Experience really can cross borders, and is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your users in other countries to make sure you’re solving problems for all your users equally.

For a detailed report on our global UX project and learnings, please read the published white paper.

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