Data Analysis: Reporting Findings Dr. Dania Bilal IS588 Spring 2008

After data collection and analysis… Develop understanding of the findings What do the quantitative statistics mean for interaction design? What do the patterns, recurring themes, and stories collected mean for interaction design?

How to present findings Vary with the goal of the project Main purposes: –Derive requirements for interactive products (e.g., search engine interfaces, cell phone interfaces, commercial sites interfaces) –Evaluate an interactive product under development

How to present findings? Stories Summaries –Brief reports –Detailed reports Notations Combination of methods

Stories Called narratives Used to communicate findings Focus may be about what users are trying to achieve (i.e., goals) Allow to concentrate on human activity not interaction with technology

Stories Three types 1. Participants in data gathering tell stories about their own experiences 2. Observer/researcher compiles a story about a specific idea/observation and builds a story around it. May employ a participant’s statements (used as quotes in story) to give credibility to the story

Stories 3. Observer/researcher constructs a story from repeated patterns found in data Qualitative reporting of findings Can be combined with other qualitative findings Can be combined with quantitative findings

Written reports Brief reports –Highlights essential findings with quantitative data –Some qualitative data may be included –Headline findings –Used by high-level managers, product designers, participants in project

Written reports Detailed reports –Comprehensive –Describes purpose, method(s) used in data collection, data analysis, and findings in detail. –Elaborates and justifies use of methods –Describes qualitative and quantitative data in detail

Notations Employ symbols, graphs, diagrams, programming language, mnemonics, etc. Discipline-based Interaction design uses notations from different fields Capture essence of an idea Formal or informal

Notations Who will use them? Users –Don’t include jargon or symbols –Make then informal Experts –Make them more formal and specialized

Work on assignment 3 Develop draft questions for the interviews to gather user data. Refine the questions. Pilot test a sample of these questions with classmates not in your team group. Consolidate the gathered data from the pilot test. Refine the questions further.