2-1 Discussion: Data Gathering Methods

Available on Saturday, September 4, 2021 8:59 PM PDT

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How often do you take the time to rate your experience when playing a game on your phone or tablet? Do you always go online to complete the survey at the bottom of the receipt you received at the store or restaurant you visited last week? If you are like most people, you probably do not have the time or interest needed to complete all of the surveys or other data gathering activities that you encounter throughout your day.

In the module resources, you read about a variety of data gathering methods and when each would be appropriate to use. For this discussion, think of a situation when you took the time to participate in a survey, observation, interview, or other data gathering activity. In your initial post, describe the activity and discuss the following:

• Why did you participate?
• What method was used?
• Why do you think the designers chose that specific method?
• How could the information you provided be used to improve user experience or to develop user requirements?

If you have not participated in any type of data gathering activity, read the blog post I’m Getting That Nielsen Survey Money, and use the author’s experience to develop your initial response.

In your responses to two of your peers, suggest another method that could have been used to gather data in the situation and explain why the method you are suggesting would be appropriate.

https://timeinthemarket.com/im-getting-that-nielse…

Aaron Carll posted Sep 6, 2021 7:26 AM

Hi Class,
I took the time to participate in a survey when I had to rely on the manufacturer’s technical support team to repair a new product in the field. I had called into the support team and was transferred three times before coming across a true technical support specialist. After the support was successful, I stayed on the line to complete an interview questionnaire by the manufacturer’s technical support quality control manager. The motivating factor for me was to inform the manager of the openmindedness the representative used to understand my issues and how I had eliminated all networking possibilities. The core issue was with the device. The interview was a semi-structured interview with some questions previously prepared and other questions that expanded or related to the answers I gave (Sharp et al., 2019).
I think the designers choose this method because technical support for individuals in the field is unique to the device’s environment. Not every network or setup is the same, and I think the method is related to how well the technical support team adapted and overcame different problems in unique environments. The information I provided could help future technical support representatives by improving the background information at the beginning of a support call. If they ask simple questions about the network environment, they will better understand how to proceed with troubleshooting an issue. For example, gathering the hostname, IP subnet scheme, and whether the system is on a workgroup or domain will help the representative prepare for the next steps in diagnosing a problem. Once a bit of background information is established, the representative can troubleshoot the device having issues. This will help the support team better develop the requirements of the support representative and improve the user experience of the field support technician.

References

Sharp, H., Preece, J., & Rogers, Y. (2019). Interaction Design (5th Edition). Wiley Professional Development (P&T).

Emily Robison posted Sep 6, 2021 4:26 PM

Hi everyone!

I honest don’t participate in these rate your experience or even the survey at the bottom of the receipt. One would think that it is easy to rate an app while you are using it because it pops up in your face while activity using the app. Click the stars of what you rate the app as then write a small thing about the app but, most times I feel no one wants to waste time doing that while in the middle of what they are doing. The bottom of the receipt you say you’ll do it then the receipts end up in the trash and nothing was every done with the survey and it is history.

I did just participate in a survey that was emailed to me from my car dealership. A few weeks ago I went for an oil change and the rep at the dealer that got my car all signed in asked me to watch for an email for a survey on how smooth things are running for customers. I participate because since the rep told me about it I kinda of got the sense that he needed me to fill it out. The method that was used was a quick questionnaire with a box at the end to give personal feedback. I think the used this method because it is most likely to be email to any customer that has service done on their car. The information that was given while doing the questionnaire would be able to provide feedback to develop user requirements by knowing what went good for each customer and what didn’t go so well. I think that the box that lets customers write issues or good experiences in their own words.

I hope everyone has a great week!