Overall approach What approaches are there? How does the approach fit the research design? Methods of data collection Methods of analysis and interpretation What data will be collected and how? Qualitative or quantitative, or mixture or both Triangulation of results Techniques: questionnaires, interviews; support both with academic reasoning Weaknesses with Continue Reading
Degree
Notes from my degree course
Interviews
One of most important ways to obtain information. Important to note: Interviewing is a skill. Interviewers will have varying degrees of ability. Interviewing skills can be learnt & developed. Respondents differ in motivation and knowledge. Interviews differ in complexity. Subjective process, to be effective must involve people who communicate effectively Continue Reading
Focus groups
One-to-one interviews useful in gaining information but group meetings can be more productive. Main advantage – collective views used to explain group reactions to particular situation/event. Difficulty in ensuring information gathered is not just from smaller, more vocal minority of group which is not representative of whole group. Limitations of Continue Reading
Evaluating Software Usability – Think it out loud
“Think it out loud” methodology – user verbalises their through processes. Useful, for example, when user is navigating a complex UI and they have some familiarity with it and are perhaps performing one than more operation at the same time. This HCI (Human-Computer Interface) evaluation process evolved from design based Continue Reading
Potential problems gathering information by observation
Practice To be used effectively, observation requires great deal of practice. Observer presence Presence of observer will affect behaviours, therefore disturbances must be minimised. Objectivity Difficult to remain objective – therefore ethical – when asking detailed questions to enhance understanding. Element of chance Chance event occurring may be taken as Continue Reading
Collecting Data and Information – Observation Techniques
Interviews and questionnaires valuable ways to gather information. Both reliant on accuracy & honesty of answers relating to persons behaviour and beliefs which is a weakness with both approaches. Observation is alternative technique. Observe behaviours first-hand and analyse by quantitative or qualitative means. Observation used by everyone. Examples: Consumer comparing Continue Reading
Designing data collection methods for computational analysis
For results to be suitable for computational analysis it is usual to design responses so they can be easily coded. Enter a code (numeric/alpha-numeric) entry is simplified as is analysis and interpretation. Simplest form of coding is binary for yes/no questions. Yes represented by 1 and No represented by 0. Continue Reading
Pilot testing
Having designed questionnaire/survey it is necessary to carry out pilot test/study. This enables any defects/problems/ambiguities in structure and questions, including leading questions, to be identified before it is circulated to full sample of respondents. Pilot study undertaken in two phases: Asking colleagues for their opinion Using sample population from intended Continue Reading
Internet or Intranet surveys
The Internet and internal networks provide a means to gather responses from a far wider audience than traditional methods in a shorter timeframe. Technology however has ethical considerations such as potentially excluding respondents who do not have access to the Internet, limiting respondents to only those with access to the Continue Reading
Collecting Data and Information – Questionnaires
Questionnaires form part of a survey – used to collect qualitative and/or quantitative data. Ethical questions are not leading (see earlier example of “What is your religion?”). Can ask open-ended questions to avoid bias – “What do you think of the website?” – encourages feelings or ideas to be expressed. Continue Reading