I subscribe to a usability newsletter. A recent issue had an interesting story on getting responses from test users on the usability of your system.
It seems that one problem Asian web designers have is a reluctance to criticize interface problems. Even when they are clearly having difficulties navigating through a site, they provide little feedback on what sorts of problems they had.
The article describes how couching usability testing in more dramatic terms has increased the feedback as to gotchas and problems in the system.
Now Bollywood is the Hollywood of India. They make more movies then Hollywood. They are famous for movies that have long and emotionally involved plots. The movies have great pathos and excitement. In the Bollywood method Apala described a dire fantasy situation. The participant’s beautiful, young, and innocent niece is about to be married. But suddenly he gets news that the prospective groom is a member of the underground. He is a hit man! His whole life story is a sham, AND HE IS ALREADY MARRIED! The participant has the evidence and must book an airline ticket for himself and the groom’s current wife to Bangalore. Time is of the essence!!!
Given “permission” by the scenario, the test subjects were much more willing to critique the interface of the travel site that was being tested. It stopped being a matter of Me possibly offending You, but a matter of The Story’s Protagonist Cursing Fate and This Stupid Web Page!
I suspect this might have some applicability outside of India as well.