Managing a Research Project: Analytical Methods and Tools

1. Managing a Research Project: Analytical Methods and Tools Patricia Ensworth Harborlight Management Services LLC

2. Types of research • Strategic • Making a yes/no decision • Choosing among several alternative solutions • Exploratory • Entering a new market • Creating a new product, service, or system • Developing new procedures • Forensic • Determining the cause of a problem • Improving performance

3. Recruitment methods • Recommendations • Management • Experts • Salespeople • Customer service staff • Volunteers • Screening service • Snowball sample • Data mining

4. Etic and emic approaches • Etic • Researcher’s interpretation of participant’s experience • Emic • Participant’s interpretation of own experience

5. Data collection methods • Archive review • Literature review • Vendor review • Data analytics • Questionnaire • Unstructured interview • Structured interview • Observation • Participant observation • Diary study • Survey • Brainstorming session • Focus group • Usability test

6. Data collection methods

7. Data collection methods (cont’d)

8. Data collection activities • Demo • Walkthrough • Task analysis • Card sorting • Affinity grouping • Model building • Collaging • Mind mapping • Location mapping • Movement mapping • Social network analysis • Information network analysis

9. Data collection activities

10. Data collection activities (cont’d)

11. Research plan example • Archive review • Literature review • Vendor review • Data analysis • Questionnaire • Unstructured interview • Observation • Structured interview • Diary study • Survey • Focus group • Usability test

12. Observation goals • Activities • Environments • Interactions • Objects • Users • Tools employed • Sequence of actions • Types of interactions • Methods of organization • Workarounds Source: Observing the User Experience

13. Behavior variation Source: Ralph Linton, The Study of Man

14. Diary study

15. Survey – demographic info

16. Survey – single vs. multiple response

17. Survey – numerical answers

18. Survey - ranking

19. Survey - scales

20. Data analysis tools - quantitative • Comparison table • Cross-tabulation table • Histogram • Distribution curve • Run chart • Bar graph • Pie chart • Pareto chart • Scatter diagram • Spider/Radar chart

21. Data analysis tools - quantitative

22. Data analysis tools – quantitative (cont’d)

23. Comparison table

24. Cross-tabulation table

25. Histogram

26. Data distribution curve

27. Run chart

28. Bar graph

29. Bar graph vs. Histogram

30. Pie chart

31. Pareto chart

32. Scatter diagram of correlation

33. Spider / Radar chart

34. Data analysis tools - qualitative • Comparison table • T-chart • Mind map • Activity network diagram • Force field analysis • Fishbone chart • Storyboard • Personas • Flowchart with swimlanes • Procedure analysis

35. Data analysis tools - qualitative

36. Data analysis tools – qualitative (cont’d)

37. Data analysis tools – qualitative (cont’d)

38. Data analysis tools – qualitative (cont’d)

39. Comparison table

40. T-chart

41. Mind map

42. Activity network diagram - simple

43. Activity network diagram - complex

44. Force field analysis

45. Fishbone diagram template

46. Fishbone diagram example

47. Storyboard

48. Persona

49. Flow chart with swim lanes

50. Procedure analysis