Chegg Mexico
Chegg · Mixed-methods localization researchCase 3 of 5
What did localizing a learning product for students in Mexico require beyond translation?
- Contribution
- As a UX Research intern, I worked across the survey and interview phases and made the cross-language search recommendation.
- Timeline
- Six weeks, summer 2024
- Methods
- Comparative survey of 1,000 students, 500 in the US and 500 in Mexico
- Unmoderated interviews with 12 English-speaking college students in Mexico
- Outcome Recommendation, implementation reported
- A learner-context foundation for localization and a recommendation that a Spanish search should retrieve relevant answers from Chegg’s English database. The presentation reports that it was implemented on chegg.mx.
Localization was more than language
Chegg needed to understand Mexican students’ academic experiences as it expanded into the market. Localizing a learning product meant understanding how students studied, the support they relied on, and how they found learning resources, not only translating the interface.
Choosing the approach
The study began with a comparative survey of 1,000 students, split evenly between the US and Mexico, covering academic challenges, emotional experiences, study habits and use of support services. We recruited through Dynata, which also handled the Spanish translation, and ran the survey in Forsta. The comparison established broad patterns and told the qualitative phase where to look.
I then ran unmoderated interviews with 12 English-speaking college students studying in Mexico, recruited through UserTesting. Time constraints shaped that choice. The interviews examined students’ context and how they used learning resources in more depth than a survey could.
A consequential scoping decision
The international team had many questions, and product and design stakeholders wanted to investigate different areas. The first survey draft ran past 100 questions.
I explained survey fatigue and cognitive overload and helped the team prioritize. The real question was what the study needed to answer within a questionnaire students could realistically finish. The final focus areas covered academic support, standardized tests, study habits and the emotional experience of studying.
Findings and product direction
The research identified needs around major projects, standardized-test preparation and academic support, which pointed to relevant practice resources and support timed to students’ routines.
The interviews also showed students moving between Spanish and English when they looked for help. Their search behavior crossed a language boundary, which mattered for finding answers in Chegg’s English database. I recommended that a question searched in Spanish should be able to retrieve a relevant answer from Chegg’s English database. My presentation notes record that the feature was implemented on chegg.mx.
What the evidence shows, and what it can’t
Shows
- The needs the research identified around major projects, standardized-test preparation and academic support.
- That students searched for help in both Spanish and English.
- A concrete product change that followed from that finding.
Can’t show
- Adoption, learning gains or business results after the change.
- Findings for students who don’t speak English; everyone interviewed did.
- An independent audit of the implementation, which is reported in my presentation notes.
Status Mixed-methods study completed · cross-language search implementation reported