In-Depth Interview: Participant Characterization pt. 1
The Participant Characterization module captures a very detailed description of each participant, in terms of attributes that are most likely to impact online behavior. The research team needs to fully understand these characteristics in order to fully understand and interpret the responses of participants to various questions, and to group participants who have certain key characteristics in common into behavioral segments or archetypes.
The objectives of the Participant Characterization module are to:
- Capture personal characteristics of participant
- Define significant participant attributes using questions, scales, and exercises
- Measure dimensions that are most likely to differentiate online behavioral segments
When researchers conduct a survey, they attempt to eliminate participant bias by selecting a random population that represents the population of interest. When interviewing customers, most researchers do not have the resources to interview a statistically valid sample of participants, and therefore participant bias is always present. The characteristics of the individual participant put a “spin” on all of the data that is captured. However, instead of eliminating bias, the researcher attempts to gain a deep understanding of each participant, so that unique characteristics can be distinguished from characteristics that can be generalized to a portion of the population.
An important goal of in-depth customer interviews is to discover common characteristics that cluster participants into groups that behave in similar ways on web sites. From those clusters, researchers can extrapolate a behavioral segmentation of the customer population, and build an understanding of that segment in order to formulate mental models or interaction patterns that they have in common. These results are then the basis for a design strategy that will meet the specific needs and wants of that segment of your customer population. Customer characteristics, when combined into a profile, can be measured quantitatively to determine the prevalence or financial importance of a given customer segment.
Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (www.usography.com)
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts