As an academic and consultant, I am interested in exploring Internet-based software that might support user research. To that end, I would like to invite discussion about the use of blogs for research, such as soliciting and collecting user feedback for information architecture or human factors design analysis of Web sites or online software.
It makes sense to me to use the same (or similar) online software as prospective or current users to support research into their experience – including their capabilities, abilities, preferences, and expectations about using that software.
In human factors and information architecture during design or re-design (such as a Web site), there are two important stages for user feedback: in the beginning to establish requirements based on user needs and in the last stage for evaluating prototypes or what is proposed for development. These stages also mirror the formative and summative evaluations performed in instructional design, so I would like to include discussion of that research area or other areas as well.
In particular, I wonder how blogs might contribute to soliciting, qualifying, and/or gathering data from users in either of those stages as well as throughout the design, development, or delivery process?
I welcome any ideas or experience that you might like to share about the use of blogs as a vehicle for supporting user research.
Although I have limited experience with blogs in research, I agree with the idea of using blogs as a powerful tool to collect research data. A blog allows open, multiple-way discussion on a topic with the added benefit of anonymity. This anonymity is not possible through most other means of discussion without losing the multiple-way communication. This allows subjects to be more open with their responses and at the same time let other subjects respond to and build on to the discussion. What this allows is a more in-depth look at a topic from multiple angles, not just a one on one question and answer session.
I think Blogs have certainly established themselves as THE tool of the moment, for good reason. I think that blogs are ideal for certain types of information.. specifically, articles, and conversations. I also think that certain types of people are more prone to blogging. I think using blog-style methoda are a great way to solicit feedback on the design of a system. If a person is on a page, and notices that a user has posted a question and there is a “Submit Comment” button, they might just use it to post their own question or comment. It seems blogs can get a bit unwieldy after they have a lot of content in them. I think a well designed forum system is called for when you have several types of discussion, or a very dynamic community of users who will provide a lot of feedback. http://www.macosx.com is a great example of a very well designed forum system. Hundreds of discussions are taking place at once in a highly organized fashion. Forums don’t read as well as a good blog.. in fact, user’s posts are often a few words or sentences, whereas in the blogs I’ve browsed, the format seems to lend itself more to people who feel they have something substantial to say. (though this is a purely subjective observation) 🙂
Thanks Daniel and Steven for your insightful comments on the use of blogs for research.
Dan notes the advantage of anonymity and latitude in blog responses.
Steven points out that blogs are popular and easy to use, but also suggests relative limitation in handling multiple threads of discussion compared to discussion board software.
Thanks to you both for helping to situate how blogs might play a role in user research conducted online with Internet-based software.
From the responses to this blog entry that I have received so far, my initial sense about the usefulness of blogs to provide online support for research is becoming confirmed, not only for the possibility of blogs for certain types of data collection, but for the earliest of research stages: to contact colleagues and refine ideas for research (echoing a similar finding in my study of faculty use of the Internet for scholarly work).
I welcome other comments on the usefulness (or not) of blogs and other Internet-based software for any stage or aspect of research.
I was recently reading that a limitation of quantitative survey research, and to a lesser degree, the one-on-one, qualitative interview, was that it tended to strip out the context within which participants might otherwise operate. While in some cases this may be desirable or even necessary, in order to isolate the influence of independent variables on dependent variables, it is important to also realize that users’ preferences and therefore consequent actions take place within a context or community of other users as well as providers of technology. This context or community may involve a network of peers, family, colleagues, etc. So, while they may respond in one way on a survey or within an interview session, it may not reflect how they will act within the actual context of their use of technology or the particular roles they take on within a particular context.
Blogs provide a community of sorts within which respondents can possibly interact in a more naturalistic manner, and as Daniel pointed out previously, it provides a level of anonymity not afforded by the in-person interview or focus group. Anonymity can be an important consideration with regard to human subject research rights and requirements, and the interview is central to qualitative research methodologies where one seeks to tease out attitudes, opinions and preferences.
Hopefully, the blog provides a virtual, if only temporary, community within which respondents will be encouraged to be more verbose than they might otherwise be when presented individually with a written interview protocol, or collectively in a focus group. Also, comments made by other respondents may in turn trigger additional responses allowing for the richness of response one gets from a focus group or allow the researcher to more readily follow-up on comments or explore spontaneous lines of questioning that he had not anticipated, which can be difficult in a one-shot email interview. An additional advantage is that subject transcripts are captured immediately and accurately, another issue that arises when dealing with audio recordings. While there is always the possibility of loss of data when using digital tools, there is less of a risk of the type of mechanical failure that can occur with a tape recorder, but which only becomes apparent subsequent to the interview session.
In short, I would say the blog offers an opportunity to overcome and enhance certain limiting characteristics of other traditional research methods and should be considered as a potentially powerful tool, for conducting user research and which may supplement other strategies in a research design.
Thanks Jill for introducing the concepts of context and community to our consideration of blogs for user research. Other than limitations imposed by virtual community which might not suit certain research problem areas, I also see that these two advantages can accrue to the use of blogs for research.
In particular, you mention the verbosity inherent in blogging. I concur and add that there is also a “confessional” aspect to how ideas and experience are often expressed in blog entries and comments. Together, these cultural aspects of blogging can suit the more conversational nature of qualitative enquiry.
With the ability to embed links to relevant Web sites or pages that are the focus of user feedback or evaluation (such as I have done with the Palimpsest site – see the palimpsest blog category), I think that a blog could act as an accompanying online data gathering tool.