A 2017 UXPA Boston talk about how my perspective on the cross-cultural design process changed in a year, as I switched from Business School to Human-Computer Interaction.

1. Designing for Entrepreneurship in
The Slums of Johannesburg
A Case Study of Cross-Cultural Digital Design
FLAVIA STOIAN, UXC/HFID Bentley University

2. The Challenge
FLAVIA STOIAN, UXC/HFID Bentley University - Designing for Entrepreneurship in The Slums of Johannesburg
The Client
The Team
6 MBA’ers coming from USA, Niger, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Russia: 1
artist, 5 business people
A local welding shop, producing elaborated metal works: gates, stairs, doors, etc.
Normally catering to the needs of their neighborhood but recently aiming at the rich
residencies of Johannesburg
Owned and primarily managed by Klaas, a quiet and concise father of three, who’s
main concern was to provide consistent wages for his four permanent workers
To help grow the business by extending its reach into the digital space and deliver
the client with a product in 4 days
At the end, we were suppose to go on a stage and declare to the rest of our cohort
if we “failed” or if we “succeeded”

3. Our Process
• ALIGNMENT • RESEARCH • IDEATEDAY 1
DAY 4 • REFINE • COMMUNICATE • DELIVER
• DESIGN • TESTDAY 2-3

4. Opportunities we missed:
• ALIGNMENT • RESEARCH • IDEATE
DAY 1
o USER, CLIENT, CUSTOMER
o WHO ARE YOU DESIGNING
FOR?
o HOFSTEDE CAN
ONLY TAKE YOU SO
FAR
o CULTURE WITHIN A
CULTURE
o OPEN QUESTIONS ARE
DIFFERENT IN BOSTON
o Again, BRING IN A
LOCAL DESIGNER
AT THE TABLE
o BRING IN A LOCAL
DESIGNER
o MAKE IT FUN FOR
THE CLIENT, BRING
THEM IN, BRING
THE KIDS IN!

5. Opportunities we missed:
• DESIGN • TEST
o WHAT YOU KNOW IS NOT WHAT THEY NEED
o HOFSTEDE FOR DESIGN
o LISTEN
o LOCAL LANGUAGE
o HEY, HOW ABOUT BRINGING A LOCAL
DESIGNER AT THE TABLE?
DAY 2-3

6. Opportunities we missed:
DAY 4
• COMMUNICATE • DELIVER
o ASK QUESTIONS o NEGOCIATE THE
TERMS
o THE COMMUNICATION COULD HAVE BEEN A
TEST IN ITSELF

7. Q&A
FLAVIA STOIAN, UXC/HFID Bentley University
STOIAN_FLAV@BENTLEY.EDU