Kendall Sad9 PP 04

4
Kendall & Kendall

Systems Analysis and Design, 9e
Information
Gathering:
Interactive Methods
Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Objectives
• Recognize the value of interactive methods for

information gathering.
• Construct interview questions to elicit human
information requirements and structure them in a
way that is meaningful to users.
• Understand the purpose of stories and why they
are useful in systems analysis.
• Understand the concept of JAD and when to use it.
• Write effective questions to survey users about
their work.
• Design and administer effective questionnaires.
Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 4-2
Interactive Methods to Elicit
Human Information
Requirements
• Interviewing
• Joint Application Design (JAD)
• Questionnaires
Major Topics
• Interviewing
• Interview preparation
• Question types
• Arranging questions
• The interview report
• User Stories
• Involvement
• Location
• Questionnaires
• Writing questions
• Using scales
• Design
• Administering
Interviewing
• Interviewing is an important method

for collecting data on human and
system information requirements
• Interviews reveal information about:
• Interviewee opinions
• Interviewee feelings
• Goals
• Key HCI concerns
Interview Preparation
• Reading background material

• Establishing interview objectives
• Deciding whom to interview
• Preparing the interviewee
• Deciding on question types and
structure
Question Types
• Open-ended
• Closed
Open-Ended Questions
• Open-ended interview questions

allow interviewees to respond how
they wish, and to what length they
wish
• Open-ended interview questions
are appropriate when the analyst is
interested in breadth and depth of
reply
Advantages of Open-Ended
Questions
• Puts the interviewee at ease
• Allows the interviewer to pick up
on the interviewee’s vocabulary
• Provides richness of detail
• Reveals avenues of further
questioning that may have gone
untapped
Advantages of Open-Ended
Questions (continued)
• Provides more interest for the
interviewee
• Allows more spontaneity
• Makes phrasing easier for the
interviewer
• Useful if the interviewer is
unprepared
Disadvantages of Open-
Ended Questions
• May result in too much irrelevant detail
• Possibly losing control of the interview
• May take too much time for the amount
of useful information gained
• Potentially seeming that the interviewer
is unprepared
• Possibly giving the impression that the
interviewer is on a “fishing expedition”
Closed Interview Questions
• Closed interview questions limit the

number of possible responses
• Closed interview questions are
appropriate for generating precise,
reliable data that is easy to analyze
• The methodology is efficient, and it
requires little skill for interviewers
to administer
Benefits of Closed
Interview Questions
• Saving interview time
• Easily comparing interviews
• Getting to the point
• Keeping control of the
interview
• Covering a large area quickly
• Getting to relevant data
Disadvantages of Closed
Interview Questions
• Boring for the interviewee
• Failure to obtain rich detailing
• Missing main ideas
• Failing to build rapport
between interviewer and
interviewee
Attributes of Open-Ended and
Closed Questions (Figure 4.5)
Bipolar Questions
• Bipolar questions are those that

may be answered with a “yes” or
“no” or “agree” or “disagree”
• Bipolar questions should be used
sparingly
• A special kind of closed question
Probes
• Probing questions elicit more detail

about previous questions
• The purpose of probing questions is:
• To get more meaning
• To clarify
• To draw out and expand on the
interviewee’s point
• May be either open-ended or closed
Arranging Questions
• Pyramid
• Starting with closed questions and working
toward open-ended questions
• Funnel
• Starting with open-ended questions and
working toward closed questions
• Diamond
• Starting with closed, moving toward open-
ended, and ending with closed questions
Pyramid Structure
• Begins with very detailed, often

closed questions
• Expands by allowing open-ended
questions and more generalized
responses
• Is useful if interviewees need to be
warmed up to the topic or seem
reluctant to address the topic
Pyramid Structure for Interviewing Goes
from Specific to General Questions (Figure
4.7 )
Funnel Structure
• Begins with generalized, open-

ended questions
• Concludes by narrowing the possible
responses using closed questions
• Provides an easy, nonthreatening
way to begin an interview
• Is useful when the interviewee feels
emotionally about the topic
Funnel Structure for Interviewing Begins
with Broad Questions then Funnels to
Specific Questions (Figure 4.8)
Diamond Structure
• A diamond-shaped structure begins in

a very specific way
• Then more general issues are
examined
• Concludes with specific questions
• Combines the strength of both the
pyramid and funnel structures
• Takes longer than the other structures
Diamond-Shaped Structure for
Interviewing Combines the Pyramid and
Funnel Structures (Figure 4.9)
Closing the Interview
• Always ask “Is there anything else

that you would like to add?”
• Summarize and provide feedback on
your impressions
• Ask whom you should talk with next
• Set up any future appointments
• Thank them for their time and shake
hands.
Interview Report
• Write as soon as possible after the

interview
• Provide an initial summary, then
more detail
• Review the report with the
respondent
Stories
• Stories originate in the workplace

• Organizational stories are used to relay
some kind of information
• When a story is told and retold over
time it takes on a mythic quality
• Isolated stories are good when you are
looking for facts
• Enduring stories capture all aspects of
the organization and are the ones a
systems analyst should look for
Purposes for Telling a Story
• There are four purposes for telling a story:

• Experiential stories describe what the business
or industry is like
• Explanatory stories tell why the organization
acted a certain way
• Validating stories are used to convince people
that the organization made the correct decision
• Prescriptive stories tell the listener how to act
• Systems analysts can use storytelling as a
complement to other information
gathering methods
Joint Application Design
(JAD)
• Joint Application Design (JAD) can
replace a series of interviews with
the user community
• JAD is a technique that allows the
analyst to accomplish requirements
analysis and design the user
interface with the users in a group
setting
Conditions That Support the
Use of JAD
• Users are restless and want
something new
• The organizational culture supports
joint problem-solving behaviors
• Analysts forecast an increase in the
number of ideas using JAD
• Personnel may be absent from their
jobs for the length of time required
Who Is Involved
• Executive sponsor
• IS analyst
• Users
• Session leader
• Observers
• Scribe
Where to Hold JAD
Meetings
• Offsite
• Comfortable surroundings
• Minimize distractions
• Attendance
• Schedule when participants can attend
• Agenda
• Orientation meeting
Benefits of JAD
• Time is saved, compared with

traditional interviewing
• Rapid development of systems
• Improved user ownership of the
system
• Creative idea production is
improved
Drawbacks of Using JAD
• JAD requires a large block of time to be

available for all session participants
• If preparation or the follow-up report is
incomplete, the session may not be
successful
• The organizational skills and culture
may not be conducive to a JAD session
Questionnaires
Questionnaires are useful in

gathering information from key
organization members about:
• Attitudes
• Beliefs
• Behaviors
• Characteristics
Planning for the Use of
Questionnaires
• Organization members are widely
dispersed
• Many members are involved with
the project
• Exploratory work is needed
• Problem solving prior to interviews
is necessary
Question Types
Questions are designed as either:

• Open-ended
• Try to anticipate the response you will get
• Well suited for getting opinions
• Closed
• Use when all the options may be listed
• When the options are mutually exclusive
Trade-offs between the Use of Open-Ended
and Closed Questions on Questionnaires
(Figure 4.12)
Questionnaire Language
• Simple
• Specific
• Short
• Not patronizing
• Free of bias
• Addressed to those who are
knowledgeable
• Technically accurate
• Appropriate for the reading level of the
respondent
Measurement Scales
• The two different forms of

measurement scales are:
• Nominal
• Interval
Nominal Scales
• Nominal scales are used to classify

things
• It is the weakest form of
measurement
• DataWhat
may
type ofbe totaled
software do you use the most?
1 = Word Processor
2 = Spreadsheet
3 = Database
4 = An Email Program
Interval Scales
• An interval scale is used when the

intervals are equal
• There is no absolute zero
• Examples of interval scales include the
Fahrenheit or Centigrade scale
How useful is the support given by the Technical Support Group?
NOT USEFUL EXTREMELY
AT ALL USEFUL
1 2 3 4 5
Validity and Reliability
• Reliability of scales refers to

consistency in response—getting the
same results if the same questionnaire
was administered again under the
same conditions
• Validity is the degree to which the
question measures what the analyst
intends to measure
Problems with Scales
• Leniency
• Central tendency
• Halo effect
Leniency
• Caused by easy raters

• Solution is to move the “average”
category to the left or right of center
Central Tendency
• Central tendency occurs when

respondents rate everything as
average
• Improve by making the differences
smaller at the two ends
• Adjust the strength of the descriptors
• Create a scale with more points
Halo Effect
• When the impression formed in

one question carries into the next
question
• Solution is to place one trait and
several items on each page
Designing the
Questionnaire
• Allow ample white space
• Allow ample space to write or type
in responses
• Make it easy for respondents to
clearly mark their answers
• Be consistent in style
Order of Questions
• Place most important questions

first
• Cluster items of similar content
together
• Introduce less controversial
questions first
Administering
Questionnaires
• Administering questionnaires has
two main questions:
• Who in the organization should
receive the questionnaire
• How should the questionnaire be
administered
Ways to Capture Responses When
Designing a Web Survey (Figure 4.13)
Methods of Administering
the Questionnaire
• Convening all concerned respondents
together at one time
• Personally administering the
questionnaire
• Allowing respondents to self-
administer the questionnaire
• Mailing questionnaires
• Administering over the Web or via
email
Electronically Submitting
Questionnaires
• Reduced costs
• Collecting and storing the results
electronically
Summary
• Interviewing
• Interview preparation
• Question types
• Arranging questions
• The interview report
• Stories
• Involvement and location
• Questionnaires
• Writing questions
• Using scales and overcoming problems
• Design and order
• Administering and submitting
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice Hall
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4

Kendall & Kendall

• Recognize the value of interactive methods for

• Interviewing is an important method

• Reading background material

• Open-ended interview questions

• Closed interview questions limit the

• Bipolar questions are those that

• Probing questions elicit more detail

• Begins with very detailed, often

• Begins with generalized, open-

• A diamond-shaped structure begins in

• Always ask “Is there anything else

• Write as soon as possible after the

• Stories originate in the workplace

• There are four purposes for telling a story:

• Time is saved, compared with

• JAD requires a large block of time to be

Questionnaires are useful in

Questions are designed as either:

• The two different forms of

• Nominal scales are used to classify

• An interval scale is used when the

• Reliability of scales refers to

• Caused by easy raters

• Central tendency occurs when

• When the impression formed in

• Place most important questions

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