In-Depth Interviews: Participant Characterization pt. 2
Participant characteristics are captured during the course of an interview, and are further developed and refined when the data is analyzed and coded. During the interview, one way to capture participant characteristics is to ask questions that are specifically formulated to reveal those characteristics. For example, the research may ask, “How many television sets do you own?” The answer then places the participant into a category based on the number of television sets.
Scales are data collection instruments that assign a numeric value to individual characteristics. There are a number of types of scales that are useful in design research. Some of the most common types are:
- Rating scales – A rating scale asks participants to evaluate aspects of a product or service and to assign a predefined value to it, ranging from highest or best to lowest or worst.
- Likert scales – A Likert scale (pronounced lie’ kurt or lick’ ert) has an initial statement, and then a 5 point scale that ranges from strongly agree on one end to strongly disagree on the other end.
- Semantic differential scales – A semantic differential scale presents personal attributes as a scale of polar opposites. Participants assign themselves, or researchers assign participants to a position on the scale that indicates the degree to which they match one end or the other of the scale, or where they fall in the middle.
Scales isolate personal characteristics that are key factors in online behavior, and designate degrees on the scale where each participant would either place themselves, or where the researcher would place them based on responses to questions and exercises. The individual dimensions represented on the scale are usually derived from an initial set of user data. In a pinch the research team can brainstorm a relevant set of dimensions based on direct or indirect experience with use behavior.
Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (www.usography.com)
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