Thematic Analysis of Qualitative User Research Data

Introduction to Thematic Analysis: Thematic analysis is a method for analyzing qualitative user research data, such as interviews, focus groups, or field studies. The goal is to uncover themes in the data by exploring similarities and relationships between different data chunks. Visual Approach to Thematic Analysis: Emphasis on a visual means of analysis for clearer identification of similarities and relationships in the data. Proposes a cheap and easy method involving printed transcripts, highlighting relevant sections, and organizing them visually on a whiteboard or wall. Team Collaboration in Analysis: Advocates for team engagement in the analysis process through activities like a team analysis session. Team members read and highlight transcripts, fostering a greater understanding and empathy for users. Organization of Data: After highlighting, cut out and fix the sections onto stickies, then arrange them on a whiteboard. Use descriptive labels to categorize and group the stickies based on the content of the highlighted sections. Iterative Process of Analysis: The method involves an iterative process of grouping and regrouping stickies to identify relationships and patterns. Categories may collapse or expand as the analysis progresses, with new names assigned to describe emerging findings.I