It is simply the case that qualitative research is a rather different mode of investigation. While some of these objections are true (and are why we don’t recommend reporting numbers from qualitative studies), it’s a big jump to assert that qualitative research is anecdotal or lacks rigor. Since we aren’t measuring things, our interpretations are therefore inherently subjective (indeed a potential hazard, but one that proper methods and good researchers account for).Small sample sizes mean that we cannot confidently generalize things like time on task or success rates from a small study (also true).Comparisons between design options in studies with 5 or 10 users aren’t statistically significant (which is true). Many UXers that work in domains such as healthcare, natural science, or even just “data-driven” organizations may find that it is difficult to build buy-in to conduct small- n research in the first place even if they are able to do the testing, it’s often hard to build credibility about the recommendations that result from the findings. “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”Ī fairly common objection to qualitative UX research (especially from statistically literate audiences) is that small sample sizes result in anecdotal evidence or a few people’s subjective assessments, rather than data proper.
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