Visualización y percepción La señal en su contexto de actuación.

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This section considers the limitations of this research and presents the tactics used to address some of the limitations.

General limitations of the research resulting from the qualitative nature of the research included limited generalisability of the results, which could not be avoided (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004). The research only focused on apps related to weight management that have identified according to specific inclusion criteria and hence the developed evaluation framework is not applicable to other kinds of apps.

As the qualitative research requires more time for collecting research data comparing with quantitative research (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004; Anderson, 2010), the relatively short duration of this study (6 months) constrained to reduce the number of apps included in the analysis.

The subjective nature of qualitative research makes it vulnerable to bias from the researcher (Denzin and Lincoln 2005). Reliability, validity and objectivity are criteria used to evaluate the quality of research in the usual positivist research paradigm (Zhang and Wildemuth 2008). However, as an interpretive paradigm varies from the positivist tradition in research purposes, fundamental assumptions, and inference processes, therefore these usual criteria were inappropriate for evaluating qualitative research results (Bradley, 1993). Hence, this research utilised Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) four criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability for evaluating interpretive research work.

Credibility isdefined as

“adequate representation of the constructions of the social world under study”

(Bradley, 1993, p.436).

The credibility of this research was presented in the research design. Activities such as spending prolonged engagement with the phenomenon under study, triangulation, and checking interpretations against raw data can improve credibility of research outcomes (Lincoln and Guba 1985). The design of this research was built on researcher engagement with the research phenomena for a period of nearly four months. Two different data collection sources have been utilised to overcome the limitation of using single method.

Transferability refers to

“the extent to which the researcher’s working hypothesis can be applied to another context” (Zhang and Wildemuth 2008, p.6).

Although as previously mentioned the research only focused on apps related to weight loss and diet that have been identified according to specific inclusion criteria and hence the developed evaluation framework is not applicable to other types of apps, the research can achieve transferability by giving rich data and descriptions to the other

researchers so that other researchers are able to make judgments about the findings’ transferability to different settings or contexts. The literature review (see Chapter 2, section 2.4) and the transparent providing of data in methodology section added to the transferability of this study.

Dependability refers to

“the coherence of the internal process and the way the researcher accounts for changing conditions in the phenomena”(Bradley, 1993, p.437).

According to Zhang and Wildemuth (2008), dependability is determined by

examining the consistency of processes in the study. After phase two-Development of

the Evaluation Framework and evaluating apps according to the framework (phase

three Application of the framework), a follow up step was conducted to perform a

deductive thematic analysis of apps users reviews, focusing on the apps usability elements as well as checking the correctness of the evaluation framework and its outcomes.

Conformabilityrefers to

“the extent to which the characteristics of the data, as posited by the researcher, can be confirmed by others who read or review the research results” (Bradley, 1993, p.437).

Zhang and Wildemuth (2008) point out that confirmability is established by examining internal coherence of the research product (i.e. data, results, interpretations, and recommendations). The conformability of this research was achieved through a clear and detailed providing of characteristics of data and research findings.

Section 3.10 has presented the limitations of the research and presented the method used to address the research limitations.

3.11

CHAPTER REFLECTION

This chapter presented the philosophical position of the research. Utilising a qualitative approach that underpinned the subjective ontology and interpretive epistemology traditions was suitable for the exploratory nature of this research.

The research strategy consisted of content analysis and two-stage data collection. The chapter presented the research design that consisted of three research stages. This design was guided by the research strategy and philosophy and enabled to support each research stages focus.

The chapter has demonstrated the tools and techniques utilised to collect the data across the three stages of the research. There were multiple data collections used during research stages: Selective review of apps based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria,. In addition, content analysis assisted in utilising the existing theories of evaluation frameworks to develop the suitable evaluation framework for this research. Furthermore, practical application of the evaluation framework, and deductive thematic analysis of apps user reviews were used during the three stages.

The chapter has presented the analysis method used in the research and the approaches for discussing and interpreting the analysed data. The limitations of this study and some of the tactics to overcome this limitation were discussed in the chapter.

Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) four criteria for evaluating interpretive research were applied to this research for evaluating interpretive research work.