Comet bursts into the Commons with a clipboard in each hand. "I have a plan," she says. "We stand at the door and shout our questions at everyone!"
Keeper Ines raises an eyebrow from the front desk. Two members at the workbenches look up.
Wren gently takes one clipboard. "What do you notice? Shouting gets loud answers from a few people. We want fair answers from many."
"Then how do we ask?" Comet says.
Nova hovers above the desk and projects four cards: survey, interview, observation, user testing. "Would you like a hint?" she asks. "Each method sees a different part of the picture."
Wren turns to you. "Data analyst, which one fits the council's question?"
Ways to find out what people need include surveys, user testing, interviews and direct observation.
In this course, a survey gives many people the same written questions. An interview asks one person questions out loud.
Direct observation means watching and recording without asking. User testing means watching people try a version of something.
| Method | What the crew could do at the Commons (made-up plan) |
|---|---|
| Survey | Give every member who agrees the same short list of written questions |
| Interview | Sit with a few members and ask why they want what they want |
| Direct observation | Count how many people come through the door each hour |
| User testing | Set out a cardboard model of a bike rack and watch members try it |
The council wants to know what the 120 members would use. That means hearing from many members, not a few.
The crew chooses a survey as its main method. Later it will also count people at the door by direct observation.
Interviews could still help later, to hear why members want what they want.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Surveys, interviews, direct observation and user testing are ways to find out what people need. | ? |
| Direct observation means asking people questions. | ? |
| A survey gives many people the same written questions. | ? |
| Shouting questions at the door is a fair way to hear from many members. | ? |
Good choosing. Tomorrow you decide whether to ask everyone or just some members.