Uncovering cultural differences in digital search behavior

A global technology company needed to improve how they describe and categorize search tools (browsers, search engines, and virtual assistants). To do that, they needed to understand how people actually think about and use these tools across different cultural contexts.

We conducted 60-minute interviews with participants in six countries, starting with questions about how they define and categorize different search tools. Participants were then asked to complete a live search task to walk us through how they approach finding information online, from query to result. Our goal was to uncover not just what tools people use, but how they think those tools work, how they relate to one another, and how those mental models shift across different global contexts.

We found wide variation in how people define and distinguish between tools. Many saw browsers and search engines as interchangeable, while virtual assistants and platforms were often viewed as completely separate. These distinctions differed significantly across markets.

Our findings gave the client the clarity they needed to align language and product messaging with real-world user understanding, across all six regions.