evaluative information in which the researcher will observe the participant’s behaviour as it happens or record it for analysis later (Kawulich, 2005). During the online shopping task, observations will be made, and Camtasia software will be used to capture the screen interactions which will help with the analysis of data later.
4.5.1.1 Direct / Indirect Method
Direct observation is a method when the researcher will observe the participant in their usual environment without altering that environment. Thus, the researcher may observe the participant’s behaviour as it happens or records it for analysis later on. However, in indirect observation the researcher may not be present, but would do the analysis later from observations done by others. Structured observation, also known as systematic observation is a method for collecting data in which researchers gather data without direct involvement with the subjects (the researchers watch from afar) and the collection technique is structured in a well defined and procedural manner. For example, a structured observation would likely be a checklist. The researcher would look for specific patterns of behaviour and note them accordingly. Unstructured observation would not try to record or anticipate specific patterns but would aim to record the entire experience.
4.5.1.2 Structured/Unstructured
Structured observation, also known as systematic observation is method for collecting data in which researchers gather data without direct involvement with the subjects (the researchers watch from afar) and the collection technique is structured in a well defined and procedural manner. For example, a structured observation would likely be a checklist. The researcher would look for specific patterns of behaviour and note them accordingly. Unstructured observation would not try to record or anticipate specific patterns but would aim to record the entire experience. This method will not be used in this study.
4.5.1.3 Participant/Non-Participant
Participant observation, as the name implies the researcher will be part of the events under study. That is the researcher takes an active role alongside the participants, participating and observing at the same time. The main criticisms are the influence the dual role taken by
118
the researcher and also the possibility of role conflict. Alternatively, a non-participant observer only watches and does not get involved with the activity or the participants.
4.5.2 Thinking Aloud Method
Thinking aloud method shares many of the characteristics of the above-noted observation study. It provides the opportunity to gather important insight into the experience of the participants who have different abilities (Shneiderman, 2000; Preece, et al., 1994). This protocol was developed by researchers at IBM for the purpose of usability testing and has since been adopted by researchers aiming to improve accessibility for impaired users (Lewis & Reiman, 1993). In this study, the participants will be asked to verbalise their thoughts as they complete the online shopping task providing the opportunity to gather important insight into the experience of users as they perform the task. The participants will be given some tasks, each involving specific search queries then the participants are asked to verbalise their thoughts as they complete each task.
Any audible sound will be recorded on Camtasia recorder, any comments uttered while performing or words which signify that someone is stressed or doing something with difficulty. For example, gosh, Oh my God, Sounds like ummmm, ahhhhh were recorded. “Talking to one self. I can not do this, what the hell is this, this is hard, blood hell.” This was noted and recorded on the Observation Data Collection Sheet form shown in Appendix A.3. After the task the participants will be interviewed by the researcher on their online shopping experience with regards to the overall accessibility and usability of the two websites. During the interview all answers were recorded on the Post Task Interview questions form and can be viewed in Appendix A.3.
4.5.3 Interviews
Interviews are used to discover shared comprehension of a particular group of people (DiCicco-Bloom & Crabtree, 2006), i.e. the older people. In fact, interviews are generally used as a means of gathering quantifiable and qualitative data and they occur on a one-to- one basis either in person or on the phone. In this study, interviews are chosen to be the most appropriate method of data collection because they will provide information which could not be obtained from a questionnaire. It is suggested that researchers obtain improved
119
response rates by using interviews and have a much better response rate than questionnaires, which may produce a response rate of less than 40 percent (Oppenheim, 1998). While the interview itself is a reasonably straightforward process, preparing for a successful interview requires careful planning. For example, the researcher must correctly identify appropriate subjects for study. Also, when devising the questions, it is essential to phrase them correctly to avoid influencing the responses received. Additionally, the interviewer’s attitude may also affect the proceedings. It is important for the interviewer to remain neutral throughout the meeting to ensure an accurate and unguarded response from the subject. Interviews There are two types of interviews namely structured and open- ended. A description of both along with the advantages and disadvantages will be provided in the following sections.