Geography

Participants were intentionally recruited from among different types of neighborhoods across the city of São Paulo. Because the economy was improving rapidly across the board, low-income families were moving into the homes of middle-income families and middle-income families were moving into the homes of high-income families. A majority of Brazil was affected and, in turn, a majority of Brazil’s population were target users of the Zap website. We also sought a mix of single people, families, and couples.

Holidays

Consider that Brazilians celebrate a lot of holidays where offices and businesses are closed. Make sure you familiarize yourself with these dates so you don’t risk trying to recruit participants during the week of Carnival, for example.

Keep an open mind during your research for unexpected lessons

It turned out that our unfamiliarity with Brazilian culture was an enormous advantage for us because it allowed us to approach the project with open minds. For example, people use maps in a different way in Brazil than we do in the States – among the eight participants we interviewed, most explained that landmarks are more important than geographical direction. A cab driver wouldn’t tell you to walk a half-mile north, he would tell you to keep walking until you get to that really busy intersection with a gas station.

Interviewing participants in their homes.

We couldn’t assume we understood behavior based on our experience in our labs back home. This is why in-person, in-home research was imperative. My tip for you: don’t assume that behaviors or interaction trends you’ve seen among participants in your own country would translate to a Brazilian audience. For that matter, don’t assume behaviors or interaction trends apply for any study. Even our Brazilian client was proven wrong once or twice: They informed us that Zap’s users are not interested in using maps at all; however, nearly all participants explained that they liked to view a property on a map before they visit a home to get an understanding of the surrounding area.

Learn about brazilian customs and culture

It is always a good idea to learn about the customs and culture of the country you’re visiting⁷. Here are a few observations I made while I was there that those new to UX research in Brazil might find helpful:

Greetings

As in many European countries, physical closeness is more prominent than in countries like the U.S⁸. It is traditional for Brazilians to kiss each other on the cheek once upon first meeting, even in professional settings. You can expect to greet participants in this way especially for in-home research. For Americans this may take a little getting used to, but rest assured, Brazilians are extremely friendly people and will make you feel at ease. Of the participants and members of the research team that we interacted with, every single one of them was very friendly and open. Strangers talk like old friends. I witnessed this first-hand during the interviews and it helped us gather some extremely valuable findings.

Building trust

Building trust is important for in-home research in any country. In Brazil, relationships and loyalty are incredibly important to building trust. Make an effort to build relationships with your participants, research partners, and clients in Brazil by not rushing them into making decisions or by making recommendations without fully understanding the problem. Building trust will be different in different countries. During an India-based study, my colleague learned that building trust requires equality between the participant and the researcher — that means equality in socioeconomic status and in dress. Similarly, it was important that at least one female researcher was present any time they interviewed a female participant. Whatever country you’re visiting, be sure to find out ahead of time how to build trust with the people you will be interacting with.