Chapter 8: Data Gathering for Interaction Design

Successful data gathering relies on managing five key issues: establishing clear and concise goals, identifying the study population through appropriate sampling techniques (like stratified sampling or convenience sampling), clarifying the relationship with participants (often requiring informed consent forms, especially when dealing with vulnerable groups, though not always necessary in commercial settings or where regulations like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation apply), implementing triangulation (investigating a phenomenon from at least two different perspectives, most commonly methodological triangulation), and performing pilot studies, which are small trial runs necessary for testing equipment, instructions, and viability before the main study. Data collected can be recorded using handwritten notes, photographs, audio, or video, often in combination, where the choice depends on the study’s goals, context, and the desired level of detail, noting the importance of transcribing raw data to extract analyzed information and derive conclusions. Three primary techniques are detailed: interviews, which can be highly structured (using predetermined, often closed questions), unstructured (exploratory and conversational, relying on open questions and probing), or semi-structured (combining both types with a basic script). Group interviews, known as focus groups, are also used to explore shared issues and consensus. Questionnaires are an asynchronous method capable of reaching a large and dispersed population to collect demographic data and opinions, employing various formats such as non-overlapping ranges, check boxes, and rating scales like the Likert scale (for attitudes) and the Semantic Differential scale (for bipolar adjectives). Finally, observation can be direct, occurring in a natural field setting (requiring frameworks to structure the activity) or a controlled environment like a usability lab, or it can be indirect, using interaction logs, web analytics, or diaries, including the experience sampling method. Direct observation varies in the degree of participation, from passive outsider to insider participant observer. Ethnography is a deep observational approach, often adopting a participant observer role to capture the participants’ perspective without imposing any prior framework, and has been adapted for studying online activities (netnography). In controlled settings, the think-aloud technique is crucial for externalizing users’ thought processes, sometimes mitigated by using constructive interaction where two users work together. Ultimately, the selection of data gathering techniques should be tailored to the specific study focus, available resources, and the characteristics of the participants involved.