chapter 3 (information gathering: interactive methods)) Flashcards
1
Q
Interactive Methods to Elicit Human
Information Requirements
A
- Interviewing
- Joint Application Design (JAD)
- Questionnaires
2
Q
Interviewing
A
- Interviewing is an important method for collecting data on
human and system information requirements
3
Q
Interviews reveal information about:
A
– Interviewee opinions
– Interviewee feelings
– Goals
– Key HCI concerns
4
Q
Interview Preparation
A
- Reading background material
- Establishing interview objectives
- Deciding whom to interview
- Preparing the interviewee
- Deciding on question types and structure
5
Q
Open-Ended Questions
A
- Open-ended interview questions allow interviewees to
respond how they wish without length or structure
limitations - Open-ended interview questions are appropriate when
the analyst is interested in breadth and depth of reply
6
Q
Advantages of Open-Ended Questions
A
- Puts the interviewee at ease
- Allows the interviewer to pick up on the interviewee’s
vocabulary - Provides richness of detail
- Reveals avenues of further questioning that may have
gone untapped - Provides more interest for the interviewee
- Allows more spontaneity
- Makes phrasing easier for the interviewer
- Useful if the interviewer is unprepared
7
Q
Disadvantages of Open-Ended Questions
A
- May result in too much irrelevant detail
- Possibly losing control of the interview
- May take too much time for the amount of useful
information gained - Potentially seeming that the interviewer is unprepared
- Possibly giving the impression that the interviewer is on a
“fishing expedition”
8
Q
Closed Interview Questions
A
- Closed interview questions limit the number of possible
responses - Closed interview questions are appropriate for generating
precise, reliable data that is easy to analyze - The methodology is efficient, and it requires little skill for
interviewers to administer
9
Q
Benefits of Closed Interview Questions
A
- Save interview time
- Easily compare interviews
- Quickly get to the point
- Maintain control of the interview
- Cover a large area quickly
- Obtain relevant data
10
Q
Disadvantages of Closed Interview Questions
A
- May be boring for the interviewee
- May fail to obtain rich details
- May miss some main ideas
- May fail to build rapport between interviewer and
interviewee
11
Q
Bipolar Questions
A
- Bipolar questions are those that may be answered with a
“yes” or “no” or “agree” or “disagree” - Bipolar questions should be used sparingly
- A special kind of closed question
12
Q
probes
A
- Probing questions elicit more detail about previous
questions - The purpose of probing questions is:
– To get more meaning
– To clarify
– To draw out and expand on the interviewee’s point - May be either open-ended or closed
13
Q
Arranging Questions (pyramid)
A
Starting with closed questions and working toward
open-ended questions
14
Q
Arranging Questions (funnel)
A
Starting with open-ended questions and working
toward closed questions
15
Q
Arranging Questions (diamond)
A
Starting with closed, moving toward open-ended, and
ending with closed questions
16
Q
Pyramid Structure
A
- Begins with very detailed, often closed questions
- Expands by allowing open-ended questions and more
generalized responses - Is useful if interviewees need to be warmed up to the
topic or seem reluctant to address the topic
17
Q
Funnel Structure
A
- Begins with generalized, open-ended questions
- Concludes by narrowing the possible responses using
closed questions - Provides an easy, nonthreatening way to begin an
interview - Is useful when the interviewee feels emotionally about
the topic
18
Q
Diamond Structure
A
- A diamond-shaped structure begins in a very specific way
- Then more general issues are examined
- Concludes with specific questions
- Combines the strength of both the pyramid and funnel
structures - Takes longer than the other structures
19
Q
Interview Report
A
- Write as soon as possible after the interview
- Provide an initial summary, then more detail
- Review the report with the respondent
20
Q
Stories
A
- Stories originate in the workplace
- Organizational stories are used to relay some kind of
information - When a story is told and retold over time it takes on a
mythic quality - Isolated stories are good when you are looking for facts
- Enduring stories capture all aspects of the organization
and are the ones a systems analyst should look be
seeking
21
Q
Listening to Stories
A
- Listening to stories is not efficient
- It takes considerably more time than asking interview
questions - Listening to stories may be more rewarding
- Stories are more easily remembered than interview
responses
22
Q
All stories have these elements:
A
– The call to adventure
– The quest
– The struggle
– The transformation
– The resolution
– The moral
– The epilogue
23
Q
Reasons for Telling Stories
A
- Rich information from listening carefully to the stories is in
itself valuable - The information gleaned from the stories will make more
sense and be more valuable if seen in context
24
Q
Business stories can be broken down into four important
main types:
A
– Experiential stories
– Explanatory stories
– Validating stories
– Prescriptive stories
25
Stories and the Organization
* Engage organization participants by reacting to stories
* Match one story to another by recounting it to other
participants, and collaborating with the stories
* It is a way to deeply understand some of the problems
associated with information systems
26
There are four purposes for telling a story:
– Experiential stories describe what the business or
industry is like
– Explanatory stories tell why the organization acted a
certain way
– Validating stories are used to convince people that
the organization made the correct decision
– Prescriptive stories tell the listener how to act
27
Joint Application Design (JAD)
* Joint Application Design (JAD) can replace a series of
interviews with the user community
* JAD is a technique that allows the analyst to accomplish
requirements analysis and design the user interface with
the users in a group setting
28
Conditions That Support the Use of JAD
* Users are restless and want something new
* The organizational culture supports joint problem-solving
behaviors
* Analysts forecast an increase in the number of ideas
using JAD
* Personnel may be absent from their jobs for the length of
time required
29
The people involved are:
– Executive sponsor
– IS analyst
– Users
– Session leader
– Observers
– Scribe
30
Where to Hold JAD Meetings
* Offsite
– Comfortable surroundings
– Minimize distractions
* Attendance
– Schedule when participants can attend
– Agenda
– Orientation meeting
31
Benefits of JAD
* Time is saved, compared with traditional interviewing
* Rapid development of systems
* Improved user ownership of the system
* Creative idea production is improved
32
Drawbacks of Using JAD
* JAD requires a large block of time to be available for all
session participants
* If preparation or the follow-up report is incomplete, the
session may not be successful
* The organizational skills and culture may not be
conducive to a JAD session
33
Questionnaires are useful in gathering information from
key organization members about:
– Attitudes
– Beliefs
– Behaviors
– Characteristics
34
Planning for the Use of Questionnaires
* Organization members are widely dispersed
* Many members are involved with the project
* Exploratory work is needed
* Problem solving prior to interviews is necessary
35
Questionnaire Language
* Simple
* Specific
* Short
* Not patronizing
* Free of bias
* Addressed to those who are knowledgeable
* Technically accurate
* Appropriate for the reading level of the respondent
36
The two different forms of measurement scales are:
– Nominal
– Interval
37
Nominal Scales
*Nominal scales are used to classify things
* It is the weakest form of measurement
* Data may be totaled
38
Interval Scales
* An interval scale is used when the intervals are equal
* There is no absolute zero
* Examples of interval scales include the Fahrenheit or
Centigrade scale
39
Validity
* Validity is the degree to which the question measures
what the analyst intends to measure
40
Reliability
* Reliability of scales refers to consistency in response—
getting the same results if the same questionnaire was
administered again under the same conditions
41
Problems with Scales
* Leniency
* Central tendency
* Halo effect
42
Leniency
* Caused by easy raters
– Solution is to move the “average” category to the left
or right of center
43
Central Tendency
* Central tendency occurs when respondents rate
everything as average
– Improve by making the differences smaller at the two
ends
– Adjust the strength of the descriptors
– Create a scale with more points
44
Halo Effect
* When the impression formed in one question carries into
the next question
* Solution is to place one trait and several items on each
page
45
Designing the Questionnaire
* Allow ample white space
* Allow ample space to write or type in responses
* Make it easy for respondents to clearly mark their
answers
* Be consistent in style
46
Order of Questions
* Place most important questions first
* Cluster items of similar content together
* Introduce less controversial questions first
47
* Administering questionnaires has two main questions:
– Who in the organization should receive the
questionnaire
– How should the questionnaire be administered
48
Electronically Submitting Questionnaires
* Reduced costs
* Collecting and storing the results electronically
