Chinese market requires an adapted product usability. SirValUse Consulting GmbH establishes new Usability Consulting Agency "User Experience LLC" in Beijing.
Hamburg, April 19, 2006 - Reaching an annually growing gross domestic product of roughly 9 percent the People's Republic of China is the fourth-largest industrial nation of the world. For companies operating on an international basis China ranks among the most important markets world-wide. Their products, however, can only prove successful in China when offering an optimal adjustment to Chinese customers' needs. A foreign culture and different user habits require adaptations to local standards - also regarding usability. Starting in June the new branch of SirValUse Consulting GmbH in Beijing will offer Usability Tests geared specifically towards the Chinese market.
Foreign countries, foreign Usability
Especially companies exporting to China are facing the challenge to develop their products for the global market while at the same time having to design user interfaces that comply with local standards. Varying user habits also demand different information structures in order to guarantee optimum Usability. Several international user tests conducted by SirValUse Consulting, a company based in Hamburg, Germany, have revealed that the Chinese perception of interfaces is quite different from, for instance, the European one. "We were absolutely surprised that in comparison to westernised countries the Usability of the test objects was assessed quite differently in China," Tim Bosenick, Manager of SirValUse Consulting GmbH points out.
"User Experience" also aims at dedicating itself to research
In the beginning of June SirValUse and its US-American partner User Centric will jointly open their Beijing branch. The newly founded enterprise "User Experience LLC" represents the first foreign-lead Usability Consulting Agency in Beijing - and one of the first in China altogether. According to Tim Bosenick one reason for their eastward expansion is the growing demand for Usability Tests on the part of Chinese companies who orientate themselves towards western standards.
Bosenick and his colleagues also wish to reach a better understanding of Chinese habits and perception as far as Usability is concerned. "There still remains a tremendous need for research as to why Chinese people use things differently and most important how they go about utilising them; hopefully our work in Beijing will provide further information in this respect" explains Tim Bosenick. "User Experience" has been able to win the Department of Psychology at Beijing University as a partner in their investigation. The staff members of the department will also support Ms Yiner Ya, head of the new Beijing branch, in conducting the Usability Tests. In the future Ms Ya, a graduate of the Chinese Academy of Science and of the University of Chicago will be responsible for the project management in China.
High-standard Usability Tests in China
"User Experience" has 160 sm of office space in Beijing's financial district "Jian Wai" at its disposal. Two Usability labs and one customer room offer an ideal infrastructure to conduct studies of web sites, mobile phones, and other electronic products to optimise them for the Chinese market. "Our Beijing branch will help us to offer our customers the consistent standard of quality that they already know and expect from us" explains Tim Bosenick.
If necessary, customers may extend their tests to cover additional countries. SirValUse Consulting and User Centric are founding members of the international Usability network "User eXperience Alliance" (UXA), represented in all important European markets and in the USA. All members of this network are committed to uniform standards of quality and allow of the conduction of Usability Tests within tight time frames and with only one responsible contact.
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