Research+Methods

If you plan on redesigning a technology that is used all around the world and want insight for the usability and versatility, you may want to try market research through the following: [|online focus groups], [|surveys], [|interviews], [|observation], and [|ethnography].

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 * Online Focus Groups**

The process of market research by conducting focus groups and interviews online. Each session is customized and conducted by a group moderator who controls to content, flow and can view reports in real time. The application allows you to gain insight, knowledge and research from people all over the world who have access to a computer, without the time and expense of travel.

The major advantage of conducting a focus group is the ability to obtain in-depth and detailed information through group synergy. Group synergy occurs when one participant says something that triggers an idea from another participant. It is said that a richness and development of preferences, ideas and insights can be obtained.

The - //Disadvantages// of focus groups however, are the following: 1. information can not be generalized beyond the groups because participants are not generated randomly 2. Sample size is small 3. It can become expensive Focus groups can be used to develop an exploratory understanding of call center, email and Web use, but only as it pertains to the participants in those groups. When using client-provided lists for recruiting focus groups participants, the general success ratio is 10 to 1. For every 10 people recruited, one will agree to participate in the focus group. Other recruiting is necessary in order to ensure an optimal number of participants per group. If 14 people are recruited, 8 to 10 will be present for the focus group.

The **Process** includes: > We will meet with your organization to discuss the focus group project. The purpose of this orientation meeting is to review specific goals and objectives of the project, and to identify key questions and topics to be discussed in the focus groups. > Potential participants will be invited to attend a focus group. We will prepare the screener and the script for inviting the participants. Respondents will be recruited about two weeks prior to each group. Focus group participants will receive a reminder call one or two days before the focus group session. > Moderator's guides will be developed and the designated representative(s) will review the guides to assure key information is included. > Each focus group session will not exceed two hours in length. To facilitate honest feedback, focus group participants will be instructed to use first names only. As an incentive to encourage participation we should have food available for the participants. Each focus group session will be tape-recorded. > The results of the focus groups will be analyzed from written transcripts. The analysis will focus on themes / trends resulting from questions regarding current technology use / availability, use and preferences for the call center and/or Web, and factors that would encourage greater use of the Web site. > > See for details : [|mk-focus.asp**|**www.houckassociates.com/ mk-focus.asp**]
 * //Orientation Meeting/Discussions//
 * //Recruiting//
 * //Moderator's Guides//
 * //Focus Group Sessions//
 * //Analysis//


 * Surveys**

Seeing as how the main goal of redesigning a technology would be to make it more useful, it is nice and easy to get feedback from users to help find out what possible ideas they may have to make the technology better, and what ideas you have come up with that they think would be beneficial. A survey, which can be done online, by mail, or in person, is an easy way of collecting data by creating a list of questions that narrow down your ideas, and obtain feedback through either open or close-ended questions.

[|Creative Research Systems] have come up with a way method of going about creating a survey to give you helpful results and feedback from people. Survey's are also efficient because people are usually honest with their answers since they do not have any influence of feelings of bias or obligation from the creator of the survey when they are filling it out.

You may find the following **5 steps to create a survey** helpful in getting the answers you want: > http://www.surveysystem.com/sdesign.htm
 * 1) Establish the goals of the project - What you want to learn
 * 2) Determine your sample - Whom you will interview
 * 3) Choose interviewing methodology - How you will interview
 * 4) Create your questionnaire - What you will ask
 * 5) Pre-test the questionnaire, if practical - Test the questions
 * 6) Conduct interviews and enter data - Ask the questions
 * 7) Analyze the data - Produce the reports


 * Interviews**

"One of the most effective ways of finding out what people want and what problems they have at the moment is to talk to them!" (Beyon et. al. 216).

Interviews are usually seen as particularly useful for getting the intimate story behind the particpant's experience and feelings - through an interview you are able to read more into a person's reactions, body language, tone of voice along with their verbal answer. Interviews also allow user stories to emerge and the more user stories that accumulate, common elements can be exposed about the product of the system.

There are three different approaches towards interviewing. There are the Structured Interviews in where the questioned are prepared beforehand. These interviews tend to be more straight forward and rigid with no room for flexibilty and moving away from the question at hand. Structured Interviews, according to Benyon, Turner and Turner, are easy to carry out and conduct. There is a very tight restriction on ansers and replies and may not be ready to tackle any unexpected reply as there is no category for it in the Structured Interview.

The more flexible and commonly used type of interview for designers tend to be the Semi-Structured Interviews. The interviewer in this case is still prepped with questions before hand like the Structured Interview, yet the questions are not restricted and can be reworded or new questions may arise in where the interviewee may have a specific user story or perhaps something new that arises throughout the interview. This allows the Semi-Structured Interviewer to explore the new topics that have arisen.

The other extreme of the interview spectrum would have to be the Unstructured Interview. This type of interview has no questions prepared before hand as they are trying to prevent any inclination of the interviewers preconceptions and hypotheses.

To help prepare for the redesign project, there are various research methods that people may want to take a look at. They may open opportunities for redesigining different things if information can be gathered in new and improved ways that people may not be aware about. Here are a few you can browse through: [|Research Methods]


 * Observation**

The observation method is another way to do research. There are many ways to perform the observation method. It can be both quantative and qualatative. For example, you may wish to record what you and the studied object where thinking of and what was going on to docuement to study based on you observation. Also, it may be quantative way to of collecting data. For example, you may stand on a corner of a street to study people and tally each option.


 * **
 * Ethnography**

Ethnography is a detailed and qualitative investigation of people and their social contexts. It presents the results of a holistic research method based on fieldwork. Ethnography usually involves a small group of subjects in their own environment.

Ethnography is the key approach in workplace studies which have become the most widely practiced information gathering method in CSCW. The aim for researchers and practitioners is to study work as it actually happens in its real-world setting. In other terms, 'ethnography is the output of observational fieldwork rather than the fieldwork itself' (Benyon).

Ethnography involves the concept of //participant observation// - learning about behaviour, activities and culture through spending large amounts of time with the community under study. The resulting collection of personal experience and field data are analysed and recorded as ethnography. Some prominent examples of ethnography used in workplace studies include the London Underground, the Paris Metro, air traffic control rooms, and financial institutions. The research collected offers a highly detailed qualitative description of the day-to-day activities that take place in these work environments.

Current ethnographic studies are placing higher emphasis on design elements of the workplace. Sometimes the ethnographer is a member of the design team, and will be involved in the early conceptual stage as well as the evaluation and generating requirements. Often an ethnographers work can be categorized into usage scenarios.


 * Ethnography Research**


 * Refrences**

1. Benyon, David, Phil Turner, and Susan Turner. __Designing Interactive Systems__. Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited, 2005. 2. http://www.wsu.edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/glossary/ethnography.html 3. http://static.flickr.com/34/73493896_1ea6eedfd6_o.jpg