Data analysis and interpretation

After data collection, the next phase is data analysis and interpretation. The purpose of this part is to start making some sense of the data that we've collected. The next part, we know, once we get it all together and analyse it. The analysis helps to answer some of the questions that we were talking about the whole time.

In our research or analysis process, data can generally be divided into two main types’

quantitative data and qualitative data. The root of each of these words tells us what it is?

Quantitative data talks about quantities or things that can be measured. Numerically, it is often things that can be either whole numbers or can be measured on a sliding scale, but they naturally have a fixed number associated with them. Quantitative data has two subsets as well. So there are two different ways. We can describe quantitative data. It can be discrete or it can be continuous.

Qualitative data is data that normally has words as a description and not numbers [57].

So colours are a perfect example of qualitative data. Qualitative data analysis lets us find patterns or themes within data. It may not have a numeric value tied to it by description.

But this doesn't mean that we can't analyse examine and find insights about our data.

The most challenging part of qualitative data analysis is the initial setup. There are many different ways that we can work with qualitative data, depending on how our data is being measured or captured and what we are trying to develop or create as an outcome of our analysis work [57].

3.3.1 Affinity diagramming

This is a tool that is often used for interpretation. It helps to synthesize information. This method was developed by a Japanese Anthropologist Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s [34].

Affinity diagramming is a method for organizing related facts into distinct clusters. It is a fast and efficient way for teams to collaborate, as they distil and prioritize findings from user research and strategy or design workshops, among other things.

The process involves a lot of sticky notes and these three steps.

 First, generating ideas during a research session or UX Workshop. Observers or attendees write down their observations or ideas; each one on a separate Sticky Note.

 Second, organize these into categories, then subcategories.

 And third, prioritize the notes in each category.

When to use Affinity diagramming? After making various simple observations such as hearing and seeing. After talking to people like, when we are conducting workshops and interviews for qualitative research. Or even when using something more quantitative re-search, such as surveys.

Figure 4. Example of an affinity diagram⁵

3.3.2 Personas

A User Persona is a representation of a particular audience segment for a product or a service that we are designing. It allows us to create an example of the kind of person that might be using our product or our service [35]. It lets us look at things, like their frustrations, their motivations, for using our product or service. It gives us a bit of an overview of, who they are, as an individual. We can create user personas based on user research that we have about our audience, or we can create them based on our assump-tions [35]. In UX, It is always better to create stuff based on real research. But there are always situations, where this isn't necessarily available. In those situations, it is always to try and create a Persona based on our assumptions rather than not creating any per-sona at all. Because at the end of the day if we are designing a product or a service, is very likely that we do have a rough idea of the kinds of people that we are designing the product or service for and the kinds of things they're going to want out the product or service or the kinds of things that they're going to be interested in as well. What infor-mation is contained within the User Persona? There's no right or wrong way to create personas. We can include as little or as much information and different types of infor-mation that we want. It is all about what helps us to create the most coherent picture of the person that is using our product or service.

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Figure 5. Example of B2B Buyer Persona⁶

A typical Persona will contain demographic information like a person's name, age, in-come, where they live. We may have a picture of, who they look like or what we think they might look like. It will contain information about their goals for using our product or our service. Why do they need our product or service? How is it useful to them? It will contain information about their motivations, for using a product or service [36]. What kind of pain points that they want to solve? What are the reasons for using it? How it will make lives feasible? We can also include information about their technical capability. How com-fortable they are using technology, mobile devices, and tablets. How competent they are, using computers and IT in general. This sometimes ties into their age. Generally, the Millennials or younger people are more competent at using technology than the older generation of people. We could also include information about the kinds of brands that they like and other products or services that they like might be similar to ours [35]. It can help and inspire us to create something that they're going to like.

3.3.3 Ideation

Based on collected information from the users, we start with an initial design, to fulfil our users' needs. Later it leads to the final product. Through different approaches, we can reach the desired design. In the design thinking process, a key step is called ideation.

Coming up with as many ideas or solutions to a problem as we possibly can [37].

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There are different ways.

1. We want the number of ideas

2. We want a diversity of ideas or solutions

It is all about the generation. Generating quantity and diversity. Quantity is a key factor in the beginning. Quality can determine later. It is difficult to collect too many ideas in the beginning. So that is why we have to suspend judgment. To increase the number of ideas, we have to make sure that all the people that are collaborating and working in this process, share their ideas or thought explicitly. There are generally introverts in the room.

Make sure that everybody is heard because everybody has ideas. Some other methods and processes that we can use in the ideation phase are skits, sketches, mind maps, brainstorming, storyboards etc.

3.3.4 User environment design

User interface (UI) design is the process of making interfaces in software or computer-ized devices with a focus on looks or style. Designers aim to create designs users will find easy to use and pleasurable. UI design typically refers to graphical user interfaces but also includes others, such as voice-controlled ones [51].