The cultural diversity of users of technology challenges our methods
for usability evaluation. In this paper we report and compare three ethnographic
interview studies of what is a part of a standard (typical) usability test in a
company in Mumbai, Beijing and Copenhagen. At each of these three locations,
we use structural and contrast questions do a taxonomic and paradigm analysis
of a how a company performs a usability test. We find similar parts across the
three locations. We also find different results for each location. In Mumbai,
most parts of the usability test are not related to the interactive application that
is tested, but to differences in user characteristics, test preparation, method, and
location. In Copenhagen, considerations about the client´s needs are part of a
usability test. In Beijing, the only varying factor is the communication pattern
and relation to the user. These results are then contrasted in a cross cultural
matrix to identify cultural themes that can help interpret results from existing
laboratory research in usability test methods
