"User Experiences of Spanish-Speaking Latinos with the Frontier Behavioral Health Website"
Download PDF About the AuthorRaquel L. Dean holds a B.A. in Psychology and a M.A. in English with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Eastern Washington University. She currently works for Kalispell Regional Healthcare as a School-based Mental Health Worker and plans to obtain her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the near future. Her research interests lie in both psychology and technical communication, with topics including: minority mental health, child psychopathology (childhood trauma and anxiety disorders) and evaluating barriers among minorities when accessing and receiving mental health care, by facilitating usability tests to examine information design and observe the users' experience. Contents |
Literature ReviewThe literature review that follows touches on four major areas: technical communication, information design, usability testing, and cultural differences in user experience. These topics are essential to discuss in research because one can better learn how technical communicators utilize different concepts when communicating with individuals or large groups of individuals from diverse, cultural backgrounds, as well as the benefits of utilizing usability testing. Technical Communication and Information Design across CulturesTufte (1990) claims that “principles of information design are universal—like mathematics—and are not tied to unique features of a particular language or culture” (10). Technical communicators must think more than just about the type of information they are going to place on a document, website, product, etc. As noted by Still and Crane (2017), “good user-centered design is not about giving users what they want or making decisions for them. Rather it is giving them enough control to understand and manage the system in multiple situations” (13). Essentially, even though there are principles to design that belong in technical communication, not at all users have the same, consistent, underlying needs, so research must be conducted in order to effectively deliver information to diverse audiences. A computer system is a tool, a tool for users to use with ease and efficiency to locate information in a satisfying manner. As Albers (2004) notes, “information systems should work to provide a user with high quality information that support complex situations" (158). Users want systems that are easy to learn, easy to use and that ultimately help them complete certain tasks. Users want software that “doesn’t confuse them, that doesn’t make it slow them down, that doesn’t make it easier to make mistakes or harder to finish their job,” (Albers, 158). The complexity of having users from different cultural backgrounds is just another factor that must be considered for information design. Moreover, translation and localization are the two main strategies that technical communicators use to address these differences in language and rhetorical preference (Sprung, 2000). Cronin (2001) defines localization as "taking a product that is already designed and adapting it to a local market" (13). Because different cultures have different rhetorical preferences, localization can be a key step in making the information appropriate for the target audience. Germaine-Madison (2009) stresses that localization goes beyond translating the language the document is written. Germaine-Madison states that there are other issues, such as how the readers will use the document, specific content, and stylistic issues must also be considered (Esselink 2000; Yunker 2003, 128). Designers need to design interfaces targeted for a specific audience, who come from different cultural backgrounds. This requires the designer to know what interface features might be common in a given culture. When designers provide interface features that create a learning environment which learners understand and with which they are comfortable (Ingram et al. 2007), communication flows smoothly from the content to the learner (Recabarren et al. 2008). Although limited research exists, it suggests that low acculturated Latino adults prefer Website features that are more relevant to the Latino culture (Singh et al. 2008). Culturally relevant features suggested by Singh and colleagues (Singh et al. 2008; Singh et al. 2009) include providing information and customer support in Spanish, reflecting a viewpoint that demonstrates how the organization serves and gives back to the Latino community, showing the value of family by displaying pictures of families and/or grandparents, integrating structure, and using clear navigation, color, graphics, web support, and unique products preferred by Latino Web users. In technical communication, information is generally written in the context of the host language and culture. For example, as a native English U.S. Citizen would design a website differently than a Spanish-speaking Mexican immigrant would. To achieve the best results when communicating across cultures, it is important to consider possible target languages and cultural contexts while designing technical documents. Different cultural expectations and practices can affect the way individuals from different cultures present or interpret spoken or written information (Uljin and St Amant, 2000). Furthermore, Yuan (2013) states that “culture makes a difference in shaping the design, implementation, use, and social implications of media technologies” (261). According to Weiss (1998), earlier research showed two intercultural adaptations branched out from the growing literature in business and technical communication: the culture-free approach and the culture-fair approach. The culture-free approach focuses on “the way to make a text easy to understand and translate"; first, they should be "writ[ten] . . . according to the strictest standards of clarity and simplicity and then strip[ed} . . . [of] all of stylistic peculiarities” (254). Culture-free documents focus on eliminating all “figurative language" and include "no wordplay, and no intentional humor” (255). Kirkman (1988) observed that non-English readers struggle when they encounter “common features of incompetent technical writing” (347). These common errors include: wordiness, ostentation, clumsy links, tense problems, jargon, passives, nominalization, etc. (Weiss, 1998). St. Amant states that “a new set of research questions, challenges, and dilemmas that professional communicators need to explore in order to ensure a productive intercultural dialog among different nations” is the next step that needs to be taken among all technical communicators (St. Amant, K., 2011, 206). St. Amant (2015) poses that technical communicators need to take the time to stop and collaborate on what the field of technical communication has accomplished, what we have examined, but also, what topics we must discuss now in order to provide better insights in the future. One topic St. Amant believes should be discussed among technical communicators concerns “… design[ing] materials for a specific audience. But in an age of global online media, who is our audience, and what implications are there for how different populations interpret and react to information?” (221). St. Amant (2015) emphasizes the need to re-think technical communication and the research we produce by stating that:
In essence, St. Amant is creating an exigence for scholars, researchers, and professors of technical communication to re-think the various topics, based on the evolving needs of the users in our communities. He reminds us that our world is constantly changing, so we must think of innovative and creative ways to improve the world of technical communication. He challenges us to re-think our current practices to ensure a progressive field of technical communication that delivers information effectively and efficiently to our diverse populations. Moreover, I would like to narrow the focus to how Latinos, specifically, are affected by web design. A study conducted by Clayman and her colleagues found that Hispanics, who are comfortable speaking English, were not more likely to use the Internet than non-Hispanic Whites and had very high trust ratings for information on the Internet. In fact, after healthcare providers, Hispanics comfortable speaking English were most likely to trust the Internet as a source of health information (Clayman et al. 2010). A study of data collected more recently than this administration of HINTS (Livingston et al., 2009) found that, despite recent increases in Internet use, a gap remained between use by native- and foreign-born Hispanics. This lack of fluency in reading English is a substantial barrier to Internet use. They also found that those who read well in Spanish were less likely to go online than those who read well in English. The Hispanics who are comfortable speaking English may be frequent users of these new methods of communication, as they have high usage of and trust in the Internet. However, for Hispanics who are less comfortable speaking English, the Internet and its associated content would not seem to be a good resource. This study concluded that Hispanics who are less comfortable speaking English exhibit different trust and media use patterns than their counterparts who are comfortable speaking English. It is essential for those in technical communication to be knowledgeable about the cultural backgrounds of their prospective audiences. Further research is crucial in the field of technical communication and information design, to identify the differences among ethnic-cultural minorities. If there are audience members who speak a different language or communicate information differently than others, technical communicators must be prepared and equipped with the necessary knowledge and skill set, related to intercultural communication and design to diverse populations, so they may design and deliver effective information and communicate efficiently. Cultural Approach to Usability TestingIt is necessary for technical writers to be educated on developing culturally sensitive approaches, as well as understanding the benefits of utilizing usability tests to ensure their products are culturally appropriate. The International Organization for Standardization (1998) defines usability as the “effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment” (Albers & Still, 2011). Usability is a goal that most technical communicators share. Usability, as defined by Nielsen, has five components: Memorability, Errors, Efficiency, Learnability, and Satisfaction, broken down as such:
The aim of researching users for usability tests is to help designers identify their users’ underlying needs (i.e. those that are not instantly apparent or accessible through questioning alone). Once we, as technical communicators, have established the needs of our targeted users, we can then develop new problem-solving approaches that accommodate the user’s constraints and exploit their capabilities. Thereby, we increase the accessibility and empathy that go into the products that are created (e.g. websites, brochures). When facilitating usability tests and utilizing the M.E.E.L.S components to guide the tests, you will be “creating a balancing act” (192). In the end, technical communicators and designers want to achieve all of these elements, not just one. By using this method, technical communicators will be able to determine the elements of their test design and the usability of their product (Still & Crane, 2017). According to Still and Crane (2017), there are two types of usability testing: A/B Testing (also known as Summative Testing) and Formative Testing. A/B testing “compares the usability of two competitive products, two prototypes of a product, or even an earlier versus a later version of a product” (192). Formative testing, also referred to as “iterative testing,” emphasizes “testing multiple times during the design process, using a small number of representative users to teach each iteration" (193). It has been agreed by many technical communicators that this type of usability testing is the most useful type to conduct during the design process. The benefit of using the formative usability test is “when you are testing small numbers of users multiple times, you get data about usability problems that can be fixed during the design process” (193). That way, when you test throughout the design of the product, before it is finalized, you can catch usability issues and major design problems that can be detrimental to your targeted user’s experiences. Website designers of international or intercultural communication must take their audience into consideration and respect cultural differences. An approach to optimize a website for users from various cultural backgrounds would be to evaluate the site, through usability testing, with potential users from all nationalities. Including users from all nationalities allows for the creation of a representative sample population. The evaluation would include a think-aloud protocol usability test. Think-aloud usability tests allow participants to act as real users and give insight into the mistakes they make and the doubts they have in the process (Hall, Jong, Steehouder, 2004). In the end, for web owners to be successful and to increase user satisfaction, web sites must consider usability and other design criteria (Palmer, 2002). Nielsen (2000) found that users' performance improved by nine times when measuring the success based on user-centered navigability. Arguably, usability testing is one of the most important elements of technical communication. By conducting a series of usability tests with users who fit our targeted audience’s criteria, we ensure that we are in fact relaying our message in an effective manner, while making sure that our users also have a user-friendly experience with our products. By educating technical communicators on the importance of usability tests, we will be able to create more culturally sensitive information. In the end, the large-scope problem is that there continue to be disparities among Latinos accessing information regarding mental health services, as well as receiving mental health services. Research shows that Latinos are not only more likely to have psychiatric disorders than their Caucasian and African American counterparts but they are less likely than other ethnic/racial groups to receive care. Research also shows that an existing barrier is that they do not speak English, or they lack the knowledge of available services. Clients with limited English proficiency are unlikely to pursue care (Willerton et al. 2008). |
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