MODULE 5 – Part 1:

Information Gathering - Interactive

Methods
Dr. Dr. Tam Nguyen

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Learning Objectives
4.1 Recognize the value of interactive methods for
information gathering
4.2 Construct interview questions to elicit human
information requirements and structure them in a way
that is meaningful to users
4.3 Understand the purpose of stories and why they are
useful in systems analysis
4.4 Understand the concept of JAD and when to use it
4.5 Write effective questions to survey users about their
work
4.6 Design and administer effective questionnaires
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Process discovery methods

1. Evidence-based
– Document analysis: phân tích dữ liệu thứ cấp
– Observation: quan sát
– Automated process discovery: phân tích quy trình tự động

2. Interview-based

3. Workshop-based

Choose one or more on the basis of context and budget

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Interactive Methods to Elicit Human
Information Requirements
• Interviewing
• Joint Application Design (J AD)
• Questionnaires

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Major Topics (1 of 2)
• Interviewing
– Interview preparation
– Question types
– Arranging questions
– The interview report
• User Stories

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Major Topics (2 of 2)
• Joint Application Design (J AD)
– Involvement
– Location
• Questionnaires
– Writing questions
– Using scales
– Design
– Administering

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Interviewing
• Interviewing is an important method for collecting
data on human and system information
requirements
• Interviews reveal information about:
– Interviewee opinions
– Interviewee feelings
– Goals
– Key HCI concerns

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Interview Preparation
• Reading background material
• Establishing interview objectives
• Deciding whom to interview
• Preparing the interviewee
• Deciding on question types and structure

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Question Types (1 of 2)
• Open-ended
• Closed

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Open-Ended Questions
• 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

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Figure 4.2 Open-Ended Interview Questions
• What’s your opinion of the current state of business-to-
business ecommerce in your firm?
• What are the critical objectives of your department?
• Once the data are submitted via the website, how are they
processed?
• Describe the monitoring process that is available online.
• What are some of the common data entry errors made in this
department?
• What are the biggest frustrations you’ve experienced during
the transition to ecommerce?

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Advantages of Open-Ended Questions (1 of 2)
• 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

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Advantages of Open-Ended Questions (2 of 2)
• Provides more interest for the interviewee
• Allows more spontaneity
• Makes phrasing easier for the interviewer
• Useful if the interviewer is unprepared

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Disadvantages of Open-Ended Questions
• 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”

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Closed Interview Questions
• 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

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Figure 4.3 Closed Interview Questions
• How many times a week is the project repository updated?
• On average, how many calls does the call center receive monthly?
• Which of the following sources of information is most valuable to
you?
– Completed customer complaint forms
– Email complaints from consumers who visit the website
– Face-to-face interaction with customers
– Returned merchandise
• List your top two priorities for improving the technology infrastructure.
• Who receives this input?

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Benefits of Closed Interview Questions
• Save interview time
• Easily compare interviews
• Quickly get to the point
• Maintain control of the interview
• Cover a large area quickly
• Obtain relevant data

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Disadvantages of Closed Interview Questions

• 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

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Figure 4.5 Attributes of Open-Ended and
Closed Questions

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Bipolar Questions
• 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

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Probes
• 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

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Arranging Questions
• Pyramid
– Starting with closed questions and working
toward open-ended questions
• Funnel
– Starting with open-ended questions and
working toward closed questions
• Diamond
– Starting with closed, moving toward open-
ended, and ending with closed questions

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Pyramid Structure
• 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

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Figure 4.7 Pyramid Structure for Interviewing
Goes from Specific to General Questions

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Funnel Structure
• 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

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Figure 4.8 Funnel Structure for Interviewing Begins with
Broad Questions Then Funnels to Specific Questions

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Diamond Structure
• 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

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Figure 4.9 Diamond-Shaped Structure for Interviewing
Combines the Pyramid and Funnel Structures

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Closing the Interview
• Always ask “Is there anything else that you would
like to add?”
• Summarize and provide feedback on your
impressions
• Ask whom you should talk with next
• Set up any future appointments
• Thank them for their time and shake hands.

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Interview Report
• Write as soon as possible after the interview
• Provide an initial summary, then more detail
• Review the report with the respondent

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Stories
• 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
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Listening to Stories
• 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

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Stories are Made up of Elements
• All stories have these elements:
– The call to adventure
– The quest
– The struggle
– The transformation
– The resolution
– The moral
– The epilogue

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Reasons for Telling Stories
• 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

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Business Stories
• Business stories can be broken down into four
important main types:
– Experiential stories
– Explanatory stories
– Validating stories
– Prescriptive stories

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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

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Purposes for Telling a Story
• 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
• Systems analysts can use storytelling as a
complement to other information gathering
methods
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JAD & Questionnaires

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Joint Application Design (JAD)
• Joint Application Design (J AD) 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

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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

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Who is Involved
• The people involved are:
– Executive sponsor
– IS analyst
– Users
– Session leader
– Observers
– Scribe

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Where to Hold JAD Meetings
• Offsite
– Comfortable surroundings
– Minimize distractions
• Attendance
– Schedule when participants can attend
– Agenda
– Orientation meeting

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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

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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

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Questionnaires
Questionnaires are useful in gathering information
from key organization members about:
– Attitudes
– Beliefs
– Behaviors
– Characteristics

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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

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Question Types (2 of 2)
• Questions are designed as either:
– Open-ended
▪ Try to anticipate the response you will get
▪ Well suited for getting opinions
– Closed
▪ Use when all the options may be listed
▪ When the options are mutually exclusive

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Figure 4.13 Trade-Offs between the Use of Open-
Ended and Closed Questions on Questionnaires

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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
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Measurement Scales
• The two different forms of measurement scales
are:
– Nominal
– Interval

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Nominal Scales
• Nominal scales are used to classify things
• It is the weakest form of measurement
• Data may be totaled

What type of software do you use the

most?
1 = Word Processor
2 = Spreadsheet
3 = Database
4 = An Email Program

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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

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Validity and Reliability
• Reliability of scales refers to consistency in
response—getting the same results if the same
questionnaire was administered again under the
same conditions
• Validity is the degree to which the question
measures what the analyst intends to measure

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Problems with Scales
• Leniency
• Central tendency
• Halo effect

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Leniency
• Caused by easy raters
– Solution is to move the “average” category to
the left or right of center

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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

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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

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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

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Order of Questions
• Place most important questions first
• Cluster items of similar content together
• Introduce less controversial questions first

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Administering Questionnaires
• Administering questionnaires has two main
questions:
– Who in the organization should receive the
questionnaire
– How should the questionnaire be administered

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Figure 4.14 Ways to Capture Responses When
Designing a Web Survey
Name Appearance Purpose
A single line text box is shown, Used to obtain a small amount of
One-line text box text and limit the answer to a few words. Used to obtain a small amount of text
and limit the answer to a few words
Multi line text box with horizontal and vertical scroll bars shown,
Scrolling text box Used to obtain one or more paragraphs of text. Used to obtain one or more paragraphs
of text
Checkbox is shown, Used to obtain a yes-no answer left
Check box parenthesis example, Do you wish to be included on the mailing
list? Right parenthesis.
Used to obtain a yes-no answer (e.g., Do
you wish to be included on the mailing
list?)
Checked radio button, a round button with a solid dot in the
Radio button center, is shown : Used to obtain a yes-no or true-false answer. Used to obtain a yes-no or true-false
answer
Image of a dropdown button is shown : Used to obtain more
Drop-down menu consistent results Left parenthesis Respondent is able to
choose the appropriate answer from a predetermined list left
Used to obtain more consistent results
bracket example., a list of state abbreviations right bracket right
parenthesis.
(Respondent is able to choose the
appropriate answer from a
predetermined list [e.g., a list of state
abbreviations])
Push button, Image of a button labeled as Button is shown,
Push button Most often used for an action left parenthesis e.g., a respondent
pushes a button marked “Submit” or “Clear” right parenthesis.
Most often used for an action (e.g., a
respondent pushes a button marked
“Submit” or “Clear”)
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Electronically Submitting Questionnaires
• Reduced costs
• Collecting and storing the results electronically

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Summary (1 of 2)
• Interviewing
– Interview preparation
– Question types
– Arranging questions
– The interview report
• Stories
– Story elements

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Summary (2 of 2)
• Joint Application Design (J AD)
– Involvement and location
• Questionnaires
– Writing questions
– Using scales and overcoming problems
– Design and order
– Administering and submitting

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Copyright

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