Comparing different qualitative methods to understand user experience in Saudi Arabia

TL;DR

This paper compares qualitative research methods like interviews and workshops used to understand user experience in Saudi Arabia, highlighting cultural influences on method effectiveness and preferences.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of qualitative methods in the Saudi cultural context, emphasizing their advantages and limitations for user research.

Findings

Interviews and workshops yield different insights and have unique pros and cons.

Participant preferences vary based on cultural and situational factors.

Semi-structured text interviews are preferred at home but are slower.

Abstract

The HCI field has seen a growing body of qualitative research, making use of a wide range of activities and methods. Interviews and workshops are some of the main techniques used to help understand user needs and to conduct co-design activities with them. However, these methods might be conducted in various ways and have different advantage and disadvantages. An important aspect influencing the types of activities and methods used is the culture of research participants. This paper aims to compare the research methods conducted in the context of the Saudi Arabian culture. It provides a reflection on the methods used to understand user needs when designing social commerce platforms, including interviews, co-design workshops and critique design workshops. We found that each method has its positives and negatives in terms of user preferences, and can help to obtain useful information at different levels of detail. For example, conducting semi-structured interviews by text was preferred by participants who are at home with their families. However, they can be slower than other methods.