This document provides an overview of qualitative research methods. It discusses what qualitative research is, how to get the right sample, important aspects of qualitative research design such as research questions and comparisons. It also covers organizing a qualitative study, ethics, and designing for different qualitative methods like interviews, focus groups, and ethnography. Key considerations for each method are outlined.

1. Designing
Qualitative Research

2. What is Qualitative Research
Getting the Right Sample
Qualitative Research Design
Organising A Qualitative Research Study
Ethics in Qualitative Research
In Summary
Designing for Different Qualitative Methods

3. On a scale of 1 to Amaze-Ballz, how good was
this thing that I’ve spent a year making?
1 Amaze-Balls

4. On a scale of 1 to Amaze-Ballz, how good was
this thing that I’ve spent a year making?
1 Amaze-Balls

5. “A short user testing study was conducted with 5
people, and even though they were my friends it
was totally impartial! People were asked to rate
my system on a scale of 1 to Amaze-Balls and were
told in advance that I had spent a year making it.
Every participant ranked this system as Amaze-
Balls and therefore this project was a success.”

6. What is Qualitative Research

7. Quantitative Qualitative
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9. Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in
the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that
make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn
the world into a series of representations, including field notes,
interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the
self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive,
naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative
researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make
sense of, or interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring
to them.

10. Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in
the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices
that make the world visible. These practices transform the world.
They turn the world into a series of representations, including field
notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and
memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an
interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that
qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings,
attempting to make sense of, or interpret phenomena in terms of
the meanings people bring to them.

11. • Growing academic discipline
• Not unique to Computing
• Can be combined with quantitative research methods for
richer outcomes
• Analyse structure with quantitative and process with qualitative
• Use qualitative findings to support quantitative results
• Assist in interpretation of results

12. Approaches to
Subjective
Viewpoints
Description of the
Making of Social
Situations
Interpretation of
Underlying
Structures
Methods of Data
Collection
Semi-Structured
Interviews
Narrative Interviews
Focus Groups
Ethonography
Participant Observations
Recording Interactions
Collecting Documents
Recording Interactions
Photography
Film
Methods of
Interpretation
Theoretical Coding
Content Analysis
Narrative Analysis
Conversation Analysis
Discourse Analysis
Document Analysis
Objective Hermeneutics

13. Getting the Right Sample

14. Sampling is a way for you to deliberately select
cases, materials, or events for constructing a
corpus of evidence. This will allow you to study
the phenomenon of interest in a constructive
way

15. Don’t sample
every member
in a population
group

16. What aspects are you
interested in?
• Age
• Gender
• Technology Usage
• …

17. people sites devices

18. • Need to make sure we are selecting the right cases when
conducting any study
• Who would you include when conducting work looking at
the following…

19. Smart Phone
Accessibility

20. New RGU
Website

21. Tips on putting
together samples:
• Integrate extreme cases
• Computing student with lots of technology experience
• Grandma that has never used a computer
• Look at typical cases
• Who's the average Joe?
• Maximal variation approach
• Biggest difference between samples

22. • Sampling in qualitative research often follows a different
logic than standard research
• There should be a rationale according to what cases and
materials are being used
• Sampling can address different levels depending on the
research question and the methods that you apply
• Finding access to the right people and fields has to be
planned and can be difficult

23. Qualitative Research Design

24. #science

25. Interest
in Issue
Research
Design
Doing
Research
Research
Perspectives
Methods
Research
Questions
Audience and
Writing
Intended
Generalisation
Intended
Comparison
Sampling
Criteria for
Quality

26. • Are you comparing between groups, people, artefacts?
• Include enough examples so that and differences can be
seen as group or case specific
• What comparisons do you want to observe, plan the
study accordingly
Using Comparisons:

27. Example Design
Social Representation of Health
held by health Professionals
Outpatient
(Medical)
General Practitioners
Male and Female
Berlin and Hannover
Privileged and Poor Areas
Outpatient
(Nursing)
Nurses
Male and Female
Berlin and Hannover
Privileged and Poor Areas
Specifics of concepts
Perception of health care needs
Starting points for appropriate care
Methods
(N = 32)
Focus Groups
Document Analysis of
Training Programs
Methods
(N = 32)
Focus Groups
Document Analysis of
Training Programs

28. • Has clear focus and is built around a clear research
question
• Reduces the focus of the research
• Makes the research manageable in terms of resources
and time
• Is linked to background on the research area
• Happens because of reflection, planning, and decision
making
A Good Design…

29. Organising A Qualitative Research Study

30. • Lots of things to consider, this isn't just doing the
research study
• There’s a lifecycle of activities that has to be worked
though
• There’s also a lot of things that can go wrong (sorry)

31. Literature Review
Development of Interview
Schedule and Pre-Test
Analysis of Interviews
Fieldwork, Finding and
Interviewing Participants
Linking results back to
Literature
Final Report and
Publications

32. • No Access: Potential of not getting access to the right
people
• Matching Methods and Fields: Thinking about
participants and environments
• Neglecting Participants Perspective: What to
participants expect from being part of your research?
• Associations instead of Analysis: Don’t be tempted to
focus on individual aspects, look at the bigger picture

33. Ethics in Qualitative Research

34. • Ethical issues in all types of research should be
addressed
• Many bodies have rules of ethical conduct that should be
adhered too
• Principles of ethically sound research should be followed
at all times

35. • Informed consent means that no one should be involved in research as a
participant without knowing about this and without having the chance of
refusing to take part
• Deception of participants (covert observation or by giving false
information) should be avoided
• Privacy should be respected and confidentiality should be guaranteed
and maintained
• Accuracy of the data and its interpretation should be the leading
principle.
• No omission or fraud with the collection or analysis of the data should occur in research
practice

36. Preparation
Relevance Researchers Participants

37. Research Questions
Informed Consent DeceptionVulnerable People

38. Access and Sampling
Informed Consent Vulnerable People No Harm Selection

39. Collecting Data
Disturbance Being Pushy Being Ignorant

40. Designing for Different Qualitative Methods

41. • There are a lot of different qualitative methods that can
be used to get data from people
• We’re going to spend the next few weeks looking at these
individually but…

42. Case Study
Comparative
Study
Longitudinal
Study
Retrospective
Study
Interviews
Conversation
Discourse Analysis
Ethnographic
Observation
Analysing Data
Analysing Data
Interviews
Interviews
Ethnographic
Observation
Focus Groups
Visual Materials

43. • Every qualitative method has a number of things that you
need to consider
• Need to reflect on each of these aspects before and
during a research study

44. Interviews
Research Question Personal Experiences and meaning
Sampling Persons as cases
Comparison Cases or dimensions
Basic Design Comparative or retrospective
Resources Experience in interviewing, transcription
Stepping Stones Finding the “right” cases
Ethics
Informed consent, confidentiality, relationship with
interviewee

45. Focus Groups
Research Question Sensitive Topics
Sampling Groups and participants
Comparison Between and in groups
Basic Design Comparative or snapshop
Resources Recording Equipement
Stepping Stones
Having the ‘right’ participants in the group, participant drop-
out
Ethics Vulnerable people, group dynamics

46. Ethnography
Research Question Social processes, foreshadowed problems
Sampling Sites, cases, within cases
Comparison Sites, people
Basic Design Case Study
Resources Getting there, documentation
Stepping Stones Accessing ‘invisible phenomena
Ethics Informed consent, anonymity

47. What is Qualitative Research
Getting the Right Sample
Qualitative Research Design
Organising A Qualitative Research Study
Ethics in Qualitative Research
In Summary
Designing for Different Qualitative Methods

48. Information in this
presentation was
based on…