Chapter 8 Flashcards
(17 cards)
List the 5 key issues to data-gathering.
Setting goals.
Identifying participants.
Relationship with participants.
Triangulation.
Pilot studies.
Discuss the 5 key issues that need to be considered when gathering data for a software development system.
Setting goals - Decide how to analyze data once collected.
Identifying participants - Decide from whom to gather data, how many participants are needed, and sampling.
Relationship with participants - Clear and professional and informed consent when appropriate.
Triangulation - Look at data from more than one perspective, collect more than one type of data, for instance, qualitative data
from experiments and qualitative data from interviews.
Pilot studies - Small trial of the main study.
List the 3 main methods of gathering data.
Interviews
Questionnaires
Observation
List the 4 types of interviews.
Unstructured - Not directed by a script.
Structured - Tightly scripted like a questionnaire.
Semi-structured - Guided by a script, but interesting issues can be
explored in more depth.
Focus groups - a group interview.
List the types of interview questions.
Closed questions - yes, no questions
Open questions - no predetermined answer.
List the guidelines to help develop interview questions.
Avoid:
Long questions.
Compound sentences.
Jargon and language that the interviewee may not understand.
Unconscious biases, for instance, gender stereotypes.
Assumption questions.
Discuss how to run an interview. (steps)
Introduction
Warm-up - easy & non-threatening questions.
Main body - Present questions in a logical order.
A cool-off period - easy questions to defuse tension.
Closure
List the advantages of digital interviews.
Participants don’t need to travel.
Participants are more relaxed in their environments.
Participants don’t have to worry about the dress code.
List the good practices of a good questionnaire.
Questions should flow logically.
Make different questionnaire versions for different populations.
Clear heading and purpose of the questionnaire.
Provide clear instructions on how to complete the questionnaire.
Use a clear font and size.
Organize with sub-headings.
Align questions and answers.
Number the questions and pages.
Use white space effectively.
Avoid overly long questions or questionnaires.
Decide on positive, negative, or mixed phrasing
Ensure clear age or other range definitions.
Provide space for feedback.
Express gratitude for participation.
List ways on how to promote a good response on a questionnaire.
Promise anonymity.
Provide an incentive.
Follow-up with emails, phone calls, or letters.
Ensure that the questionnaire is well designed.
List the advantages of Online Questionnaires.
Easily corrected errors.
Easy and quick to distribute.
Quick to receive responses.
List the disadvantages of Online Questionnaires
Problematic sampling due to unknown population size.
Hard to prevent duplicate responses.
Hard to prevent question tampering.
List some things to be kept in mind when deploying questionnaires.
Plan the timeline.
Design offline.
Complete the online template.
Recruit participants.
List the 3 observation methods that are often used in data
gathering.
Direct observation in the field.
Direct observation in controlled environments.
Indirect observation: tracking users’ activities.
List the factors that influence the choice and combination of techniques.
The focus of the study
Participants involved
Nature of the technique(s)
Resources available
Time available
List the structuring frameworks to guide observation.
The person: Who?
The place: Where?
The thing: What?
Discuss ethnography as a method for observing in the field.
A philosophy with a set of techniques that include participant
observation and interviews.
