How we used ethnography to explore local news needs and behaviours in India, and helped the BBC design a better global news service.
The Challenge
The BBC wanted to increase the reach of its Indian language news services, having recently launched websites in Marathi and Punjabi. While BBC News already had an international audience, many users relied on English-language services, leaving a gap in reaching regional-language speakers—particularly women and younger news consumers.
To bridge this gap, the BBC needed a deeper understanding of how people consume news in these languages—what matters to them, how they engage with content, and what barriers exist when accessing news.
Our Approach
Collaborating with our local partner, PeepalDesign, we conducted research in Delhi and Mumbai. Our methodology included:
- Diary Studies and In-Context Research: We explored and observed participants’ daily news habits, their definitions of news, motivations, behaviors, and pain points. During interviews participants often switched between English, Hindi, and their native languages (Punjabi or Marathi), highlighting the fluidity of language use in their news consumption.
- Prototype Testing: We presented five prototype designs to gather feedback on usability and appeal.
Key findings from our research included:
- Preference for Visual Content: Users were more attracted to images than text, often preferring to scroll through photographs, especially for topics like celebrity news.
- Challenges with Text Input: Typing in a second or third language was laborious, making features like social media logins and short-form content more appealing.
- Desire for Language Support: Second-generation users expressed interest in tools like in-page dictionaries to aid comprehension and language learning.
Following this research, we extended our studies to Indonesia, applying similar methodologies to understand local news consumption and refine prototypes for the Indonesian audience.
BBC World Service TeamThe value of getting input from our users — wherever in the world they are — is clear. It helps us to put the user at the heart of the work we do and make informed decisions at every step of the design process.
The Outcomes
The insights from this research directly informed the redesign of the BBC World Service website, ensuring that it better serves regional-language audiences and expands its global reach.
Read more about how the BBC is shaping its digital experience here: BBC GEL: Understanding User Needs in Delhi & Mumbai.