Research Methods Links

After you decide what methods you want to use to collect the data for your STA, you will want to use these sites to help you think through the issues assocaited with each method. I have tried to choose sites that have direct application to the field of computing, but most are generic methods descriptions.

Questionnaire Construction

• How to construct questions on a questionnaire. The same principles work for interview questions.
• The American Statistical Association's guide to survey design.
• An extensive paper on survey design with sections on planning, selection, question construction, analysis, and interpretation.

Interview Methods

• A quick-and-dirty recipie style guide to constructing an interview (also has a section on questionnaires).

Focus Groups

• When to use a focus group method.
• Some tips about how to moderate a focus group.
• What focus groups can get you that individual interviews cannot.

Observational Methods

• Observational methods in usability testing.
• An extensive set of documents on observational methods for participatory design. Many PDF docs.

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