Data Collection Tools Now that we’ve explained the various techniques, let’s narrow our focus even further by looking at some specific tools. For example, we mentioned interviews as a technique, but we can further break that down into different interview types (or “tools”).
Word Association The researcher gives the respondent a set of words and asks them what comes to mind when they hear each word.
Sentence Completion Researchers use sentence completion to understand what kind of ideas the respondent has. This tool involves giving an incomplete sentence and seeing how the interviewee finishes it.
Role-Playing Respondents are presented with an imaginary situation and asked how they would act or react if it was real.
In-Person Surveys The researcher asks questions in person.
Online/Web Surveys These surveys are easy to accomplish, but some users may be unwilling to answer truthfully, if at all.
Mobile Surveys These surveys take advantage of the increasing proliferation of mobile technology. Mobile collection surveys rely on mobile devices like tablets or smartphones to conduct surveys via SMS or mobile apps.
Phone Surveys No researcher can call thousands of people at once, so they need a third party to handle the chore. However, many people have call screening and won’t answer.
Observation Sometimes, the simplest method is the best. Researchers who make direct observations collect data quickly and easily, with little intrusion or third-party bias. Naturally, it’s only effective in small-scale situations.
