Investigation Methods INFO4

Methods of Investigation Interviews Observation Document Analysis Questionnaire

Questionnaire This technique is useful for finding information out from a lot of people. Do not use it for just a few people. You may want to find out what customers/students think of the system. Use closed questions so that you can easily analyse the answers. The downside is that usually only 50% of questionnaires will be completed and returned Documenting your questionnaire results Include a copy of the questions asked and a copy of the answers in graph format Also, include an analysis of your findings (paragraph at the end) A paragraph of why you used this technique

Activity Using www.surveymonkey.co.uk create a questionnaire for members of the class on a topic of your choice or you can choose one of the following: A) Hobbies B) Use of Social media C) Experience of studying at Bury College D) EU Copy the URL and email to Angela. I will place them on the VLE Complete at least 3 surveys by tomorrow’s lesson

Document Analysis It may be useful to get a copy of existing documentation i.e. if you are doing a stock control system, then a copy of their existing control sheet would be useful. If you are creating a website, then a printout of their existing website or advertising material. Documenting your document analysis Include a copy of the documentation, which must be annotated to highlight the information it contains, what is good about it and what is weak. Also, include an analysis of your findings (paragraph at the end) A paragraph of why you used this technique

Look at the document and annotate to show– a) what information it contains b) what is wrong with the document

Interviews Useful when you want to find out information from one or two people Can develop the conversation, ask further questions But… takes up time Documenting your interview Must include a write up of your questions and the answers given in the interview Must cover everything you need to write your Background and Investigation Also, include an analysis of your findings (paragraph at the end) A paragraph of why you used this technique e.g. “I used the interview technique as I only needed to interview one person, and it allowed me to ask further questions depending on their answers”

Interview Task Create 5 interview questions in a word document to find out about the hobbies of someone in the class Make sure that you use open-ended questions Download a Voice Recording app to your phone Interview a member of the class, recording it on your phone Write up a verbatim account of the interview Summarise your findings in a short paragraph

Observation Consists of spending time watching what happens in the organisation or system. You must take notes as you watch, or video Useful to see what really happens, as people may not tell the truth or miss something out in an interview Documenting your Observation You must include a detailed write-up of what you observed Also, include an analysis of your findings (paragraph at the end) A paragraph of why you used this technique

Plan your investigation for your project Decide what information you need to know that will help you to write your Background and Investigation (see A2 course booklet or your Coursework Diary) Decide which 3 techniques would be most suitable Plan your questions/create your questionnaire/obtain your documents etc Carry out your investigation Write up your findings – ensure you include a summary of your findings and why you used that technique

Quiz What is the best technique to use for finding information from a few people? Why? What technique should be used when finding information from 100 people? Why? What must you include when using the Documentation technique? What must you include for each method as well as the write-up?