Week 10: Planning Research Methods
This week I started to plan and visualize the potential research methods that I can implement as soon as possible, so that the process can inform me about people’s experiences and thoughts about how their memories shape them as individuals and also the process of sharing in general.
Learnings from Last Week’s Workshop
Last week’s workshop by Ahmed was really helpful for my thesis progress in a way that I learnt about the many research methods I can possibly apply for my case. Also, knowing the sequence in doing field research and implementing them accordingly is essential for the sake of the research process. Before this workshop, I was mostly only aware of conducting an interrogative interview as a research method as that is the most common practice. But realizing that my thesis topic is sensitive, an interrogative interview might not be the best way to dig information from participants as the direct questions might appear to be aggressive, which then results in discomfort. I know that sometimes for certain people it takes time to think of an answer, especially in the case of shooting difficult questions that need them to discuss personal feelings, so I do not want to put pressure on them that refrain them from sharing. So from there I learnt that there are four other research methods that I can possibly apply for my case. The following are the five types of research methods:
- Observational (photographic/ videography documentations)
- Interrogative (interviews)
- Self-reporting (surveys, diary reports)
- Activity-based (exercises, workshops)
- Performative/ narrative-based (storytelling, break-up letters)
Research Methods + Sequential Order
1. Collage/ Creative Toolkits
Through research methods such as collage or creative toolkits, these creative activities can allow research participants to visually express their innermost feelings and thoughts via visual artifacts. This might be a fun research method to learn about the participants as the results will be unexpected, however my only concern is how accurate or specific can I interpret the information being conveyed when trying to analyze their collages. The reading provided by Ahmed mentioned how in order “to obtain a level of objectivity and rigor in the analysis, collage interpretations may be compared between the facilitators who attended the session and those who were not there; by individually interpreting collages and then discussing them in design teams; and by analyzing the visual artifact with and without the transcript of the participant.”
Possible prompts:
- Visualize your memory for the past 10 years of your life
- Visualize a message that you want to give your younger self
- Visualize something that you want the world to know about you
2. Cultural Probe
This method is new to me. I find the method to be open-ended, meaning that I can design the prompt in however it will fit my case, for instance through the use of postcards, maps, journals, cameras, recording devices, etc. The reading pointed out how “cultural probes are not intended to be formally analyzed, but rather to serve as inspirational pieces identifying key patterns and themes that might emerge from a participant group or culture.” By using cultural probes as one of my research methods, I hope to start a conversation that might be important to be brought up in my design. This method can also be a great way in understanding the user group to inform my design decisions.
Possible prompts:
- Create a mapping of your emotional well-being throughout your life
- Take pictures of the most memorable object along with a few sentences to describe it
- Diary studies with a few question prompts: rate your day from one to ten, what makes you in a good mood today and why, what makes you feel in a bad mood today and why
3. Directed Storytelling
In my perspective, directed storytelling can be a bit similar to interrogative interview, so I have to keep in mind to always prioritize the comfort of the participants at all times. One tricky thing is about documentation because at the story needs to be understood directly from the participant’s point of view, instead of documenter’s own interpretations that might come biased. These sessions might come off similar to therapy sessions actually, so follow up questions to clarify certain parts of the story can possibly help participants as a guide. The following are general questions to note according to the reading:
- With whom did you interact?
- What means of communication were involved?
- When did this take place, and how long did the process take?
- Where did the interaction occur?
- Were there aspects of environment that affected your experience?
