Knowledge Visualization in Qualitative Methods -- Or How Can I See What I Say?

Facilitating Interviews in Qualitative Research With Visual Tools: A Typology

“…Physical or electronic visual timelines or templates offer a means of structuring data collection while providing immediate visual feedback to the participant (Bischof et al, 2011). Theoretical concepts, process steps, time points, or other categorizations form the a priori structure for these tools.…”

“…Theoretical concepts, process steps, time points, or other categorizations form the a priori structure for these tools. Researchers or participants may complete the templates, and the end product can be reviewed with participants to summarize, clarify, confirm, or probe key points (Bischof et al, 2011). These tools have been used as icebreakers, as prompts to augment data quality, to focus the direction of the interview, and to enable structured comparisons across individuals or groups during analysis (Bischof et al, 2011).…”

“…Researchers or participants may complete the templates, and the end product can be reviewed with participants to summarize, clarify, confirm, or probe key points (Bischof et al, 2011). These tools have been used as icebreakers, as prompts to augment data quality, to focus the direction of the interview, and to enable structured comparisons across individuals or groups during analysis (Bischof et al, 2011). Considerations for using them include the cognitive demand for interviewers and variability in the visual literacy of interviewers and participants (Bischof et al, 2011).…”

“…Because images and language are processed in different parts of the brain, a combination of visual and verbal communication may facilitate greater understanding of a topic by encouraging new insights and connections between ideas (Pain, 2012). For some individuals, verbal output may not be enough to adequately express abstract or complex ideas that would otherwise go undiscovered (Bischof et al, 2011;Pain, 2012). (Kothari et al, 2012) • • Network sociograms (Antonucci, 1986;Nadoh, Podreberšek, & Hlebec, 2004 (Kingsley, 2009) Visual tools may also support collaborative sense making and the articulation of tacit knowledge, for example, through the creation of causal maps to visualize factors involved in a complex process, such as program planning (Kothari et al, 2012).…”

“…(Kothari et al, 2012) • • Network sociograms (Antonucci, 1986;Nadoh, Podreberšek, & Hlebec, 2004 (Kingsley, 2009) Visual tools may also support collaborative sense making and the articulation of tacit knowledge, for example, through the creation of causal maps to visualize factors involved in a complex process, such as program planning (Kothari et al, 2012). Multiple methods of data collection enable triangulation of the findings, both within participant data sets and across participants (Bischof et al, 2011;Pain, 2012). Video can capture the interview itself to enhance data analysis through visual observations of the interviewer-participant interaction (Mason, 2005).…”