JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Chatbots are increasingly deployed across domains, yet systematic evaluation of their usability remains limited, particularly in non-Western contexts. The 11-item Chatbot Usability Scale (BUS-11) has shown strong psychometric properties in prior studies, but no validated Chinese version exists despite China being one of the largest chatbot markets. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate BUS-11 for Chinese users. Following established cross-cultural adaptation procedures, the scale was forward–and back–translated, reviewed by an expert committee, and pilot-tested for clarity and feasibility. A main validation study was then conducted with 146 participants who completed 438 chatbot evaluations across ten widely used systems. Psychometric analyses demonstrated excellent content validity (S-CVI = 0.92), strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.923), and a clear three-factor structure (Accessibility, Interaction Process Quality, Information Quality) explaining 56.1% of the variance, while Privacy/Security and Response Time were retained as single-item indicators. The Chinese BUS-11 proved concise (completion time <5 minutes), user-friendly, and psychometrically robust. This work fills a critical gap by providing the first validated instrument for assessing chatbot usability in Chinese contexts, enabling reliable cross-cultural comparisons and supporting both research and practical design evaluation in human–computer interaction.