sis fri 1030 michael holmes

The importance of qualitative research: knowing what & why

Michael Holmes

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Web analytics & consumer surveyswon’t drive reinvention(quant vision)

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Getting past assumptionsrequires non-assumptive research(vision qual quant)

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vs.methodological oppositions

Quantitative QualitativeAffordable ExpensiveNumeric LinguisticOntological PhenomenologicalObjective SubjectivePredictive DescriptiveGeneral SpecialLaw of large numbers Law of the exampleRevealing simplicity Revealing complexityConfirmation DiscoveryA priori Emergent

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www.researchcmd.com/?p=1545

Do you think “Millennials don’t care about online privacy”?

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logics of explanation

XYZ

variance things: entities & attributes

1 -> 2 -> 3 ... process stories: events & sequences

network flows: nodes & links

a

b

c d

e

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variance logic

80.6%

10.2%

9.2%

InformationalNavigationalTransactional

Automatic Classification of Web QueriesJansen, et al. (2008)

note: 75% accuracy rate

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process logic

Yes Mj

No Mj

Choose browser MjChoose search Mj

engine MjDevelop search Mjplan or strategy Mj

Develop keywords Mjor query Mj

Type keywords Mjor query Mj

Browse list of Mjsearch results Mj

Judge Mjrelevance of Mjeach result Mj

Clink a link to Mja relevant site, Mj

if any Mj

Browse site Mjcontents Mj

Compare information Mjwith information need Mj

Satisfied? Mj

Search Mjends Mj

Refine MjSearch Mj

Internal Mjsearch Mj

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Google SearchStories

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network logic

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From demographicand psychographicto sociogramic

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Your logic binds & blinds you whatever your method

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qualitative methodstraditionalobservation

1st person diaries, journals, think-aloud protocols, etc.

2nd person ethnography, naturalistic field studies, etc.

interviewsdepth interviewsfocus groups

alternativebrain scanningeye trackinge-diariesexperience samplingauto-ethnography

consumer photo essaysconsumer video essays

UGC data miningdiscourse analysisenvironmental tracesideation groupsethnomethodology

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evaluating qualitative research

coherenceinternal validity -> credibility

consensusreliability -> dependability objectivity -> confirmability

instrumental utilityexternal validity -> transferability

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some non-assumptive ideas about search types

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a common a priori classification

Informational search: document targetNavigational search: location targetTransactional search: task target

But we always search “Because of…” or “In order to…”

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vanity search

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Google him/her/me/them

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distracted search

from redwing… …to redwing

Photo © 2004 Bill Thomas Woodworking

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novice vs. expert search

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some user-centric search types

ForgottenFailedOops…NSFWTeleport/wormhole

Conversationcompetitive confirmation

Searching while… etc.

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THANK YOUsend questions, comments, criticism & defibrillation expense requests to:Michael Holmesmholmes@bsu.edu