KB PROCESS AND INTERVIEWINGTECM 4180Dr. Lam

CONTENT WORK IS USER-CENTERED

EVERYTHING IS ABOUT THE USER

Content What to include? How to write it? What

language to use? How it should be organized

and inter-connected? Design

Visual design (colors, fonts, spacing)

Information architecture (how the site is organized)

FOR OUR PROJECT1. Plan

Team charter, WBS, Project Schedule

2. Research Interviews and other research =>

Audience Profile and list of article topics

3. Design Interviews and other research =>

wireframes, site map

4. Develop Write articles and create website

HOW WILL WE LEARN ABOUT OUR USERS? Interviews Follow-up surveys (optional) Secondary research (user forums, internet research)

WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW?

“An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee”

INTERVIEW VERSUS SURVEY Anyone know the difference?

INTERVIEW IS QUALITATIVE Quantitative – research that involves the quantification

of data; generalizable to a population Qualitative – research used to gain in-depth

understanding of underlying reasons or motivations.

What is more suitable for a smaller sample size?

BONUS: SAMPLE VS. POPULATION Poll! Text “ChrisLam138” to “22333”

Population – ALL possible measurements or outcomes that are of interest to us in a particular context.

Sample – A portion of the population that is representative of the population from which it was selected.

BRAINSTORM: WHO IS YOUR POPULATION? Who, then, will we target for our participants?

Consider demographic variables Consider qualifying characteristic (something unique to that

population) Consider the use-case (verb describing their main purpose)

Fill-in-the-blank: “This knowledge base will be created for (2 adjectives + target users) to (use-case).

E.g., “This knowledge base will be created for novice, yet enthusiastic coffee drinkers to brew craft coffee in at least three new ways.”

WHAT SHOULD YOU ASK IN AN INTERVIEW?Questions About the Person

Who is this person? (demographics) What are they like? What are they in to? What is their attitude toward you and your topic?

Questions About their Needs What do they know about your topic? What don’t they know about your topic? How do they normally research the topic?

INTERPRETING AND APPLYING INTERVIEW RESULTS Interviews are useful for eliciting central themes Interview results are different from survey results in that

they are not always literal – instead inferencing must occur

Look for patterns across people Look for differences between people

STRATEGIES FOR INTERVIEWING Start with general questions…get them talking and

comfortable Listen (actually try to hear what they’re saying) Follow-up with additional questions

LET’S PRACTICE “This knowledge base will be created for novice, yet

enthusiastic coffee drinkers to brew craft coffee in at least three new ways.”

TAKEAWAYS Follow-up questions if you don’t get an answer that is

useful Open-ended questions (“tell me about…”)

FAQ’S Q: Can I conduct an email

interview? A: Only for 2 out of the 4 interviews.

Your questions better be well constructed and comprehensive.

Q: Should I tape the interview A: Yes, if they give you permission.

Q: Do I need to provide demographic information about the participants?

A: Yes!

Q: Will I have to turn in my interview data?

A: Yes.

Q: How many students should I interview?

A: A minimum of 4.