Candice’s CornerFebruary 27th, 2014

How to Collect Observational Data: Ethnography (Abridged)

• Themes:•Observational data•Survey data•Triangulating results

Observational Data

http://youtu.be/v4boTbv9_nUThings to Consider:• What did you observe about the user?• How does the presence of the researcher change the

interaction? Does observation make this “unnatural”? How can we act to minimize this effect?

• What if you are testing your family and/or friends?

Survey Data

Surveys use a range of question types from qualitative, in-depth questions to simple “yes -- no” binaries.• What are some ways to make sure survey information is

meaningfully comparable from one user to the next?Calibration assessments – one option is to seek their opinion on a well known item to get a baseline for their preferences.

1. On a scale of one to five, how usable did you find windows 8?

2. Have you ever used a similar product before?

Triangulation

Triangulation is the use of multiple measures or “perspectives” to get a 360º view of the user.

SurveyParticipant observationControlled experimental testing

What if these various measures contradict each other? For example, a user is super polite and positive during the testing yet gives terrible reviews in the survey?