(11) PDC Using Observation, In-Depth Interviews, and Other Qualitative Techniques
Davis, 2005
Qualitative Research Vendors
some suppliers offer very sophisticated, full-service facilities
qualitative research is rapidly growing which is causing a number of vendors to appear
The Feel Good Store - Project
definitely if we were to use these techniques, we would have to use a less sophisticated supplier, if any
doing observational studies on students or even those who live in uptown Saint John could be very beneficial
the qualitative techniques mentioned here could be appropriate for our project, but resources available may limit what we can do
Active PDC Using Qualitative Research Techniques
OTHER TECHNIQUES
word association techniques
i.e. BMW
what comes to mind when a word is said
projective techniques
place indiviuals in simulated situations and are asked to describe the situation
protocol techniques
find out what the important components are in a decision-making situation, in the mind of an individual
FOCUS GROUPS
needs adequate involvement by management for success
the moderator and the client need to have aligning objectives in order to produce the best results from the study
need a moderator that is highly experienced with awesome social skills
online focus groups
cost efficient
can obtain real time information
test traditional research
brainstorm hot ideas
evaluate performance of exiting products
used to test new products
may be videotaped and/or can be observed through a one-way mirror
same as in-depth interview, but there is more than one participant
usually 8 to 12 participants
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS
Cons:
demands on the researcher
cost and time
symbolic questioning
used to identify underlying meanings
hidden issue questioning
used to uncover the feelings about sensitive issues of individuals
laddering
used to find underlying attributes that distinguish things,people, or organizations.
may be videotaped or audiotaped
flexibility on the researcher to ask many questions relating to the area of interest
intensive, unstructured personal interrogation
unstructured and undesguised, with helpful results
Passive PDC Using Observation
challenges:
ambiguity of results
validity?
the behavior is not always observable
sometimes is the only method available to use
gain insights so that furher study can be done using active techniques
must meet the following 3 criteria:
3. it is subjected to checks and controls on validity and reliability
2. it is systematically collected and recorded
1. it serves a research purpose
Nature and Uses of Qualitative Research
requires a high skill level of the investigator
find a reason for a phenomena, no analytical purpose
usually an in-depth investigation with a small number of participants
substance and approach to the problem at hand
