Moving Projective Techniques to Online Bulletin Boards

Projective techniques are a key element of the qualitative toolkit.  But, what are the pros and cons of incorporating them into online methodologies? What needs to be considered as specific techniques are chosen?

Minimizes Discomfort

I’ve seen with the medical professionals that I’ve interviewed that their comfort level varies greatly when projective techniques are executed in person.  I have found that their discomfort, particularly with creative techniques, generally is not as apparent online as it can be in-person. Respondents not only complete the exercises but also provide useful feedback on why they felt or thought a particular way. In fact, respondents may even enjoy the fact that the exercises provide them with a different way of thinking about a particular situation.

Time to Think

The fact that respondents have time to think has its pros and cons. Respondents like that they are able to think about their response as it allows them to be more introspective.  And, projective techniques used in bulletin boards can result in richer, deeper responses – even compared to an in-person setting.

However, the downside is that it is difficult to ensure immediate, gut reactions will be obtained.  While some respondents will respond immediately and instinctually, others may take quite a bit of time to think through their response.  The researcher may not always know for sure how long the respondent spent on a specific task.

Delayed Probing

While moderators make every attempt to be on the board at least every couple hours (if not more frequently), there are times that we probe hours after the respondent posts and then they do not see our probe until hours later.  As a result, respondents can have difficulty remembering their original train of thought.

However, we may not need to probe as often as respondents naturally provide more details since they are more comfortable with the exercises and can take the time to think through their responses.

Requires Detailed Instructions

While researchers always strive to provide clear instructions for the projective exercises, when we are in-person we can easily provide further explanation if the respondents do not understand. This same opportunity is not as readily available during bulletin boards. While the instructions can always be updated, if the moderator sees that respondents are struggling, this may be lost on those who have already answered.

There are a couple of tactics that researchers can employ to help ensure that the instructions are as clear as possible at the outset.   First, provide an example using that projective technique in a different context than you are asking the question.   Another option would be to vet the instructions with a non-researcher prior to posting the question to see if they find the instructions clear.  Yet another option would be to reach out to researchers who have used these techniques in an online bulletin board or talk to the platform providers themselves to see what worked and what hasn’t worked.

Technical Competency of the Audience

It is important to consider the technical competency of the audience. This does not mean that researchers should not include the more technically complex tasks with a less tech savvy audience. Rather, these complex tasks should be balanced with easier tasks. This also speaks to the need to provide clear instructions to ensure that any lack of technical competency does not interfere with the respondent’s ability to complete the task.

Capabilities of Selected Platform

Given the variety of platforms available, it is important to determine what techniques will be employed and select the platform that will allow you to incorporate those in the most user-friendly manner.

Projective techniques can still serve the purposes for which they have traditionally been used: to facilitate a deeper understanding, to explore sensitive issues and to understand emotional response. The success of migrating your favorite projective techniques onto a bulletin board platform simply requires the researcher to be aware of the potential issues and take them into account when designing the research and during the analysis process.

Excerpt from an original post on Greenbook.org; the content of which was written by Caroline Volpe and provided by Qualitative Research Consultants Association to Greenbook.