Digital.gov Guide

Testing and assessment

Methods to validate your design and content to ensure they meet user needs.
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Qualitative data

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    Method: Qualitative data

    What

    Analyze qualitative data to quickly identify themes and relationships.

    Why

    Quickly organize research using spreadsheets or other tools to help you see patterns and relationships. Tagging qualitative data makes it more actionable.

    How to do it

    1. Gather and organize qualitative data within your tool of choice. This could be a spreadsheet or database.
    2. Tag, sort, and filter the data from your research based on themes and categories. 
    3. Analyze the data based on the identified themes. Sorting and re-sort your findings to quickly identify patterns, relationships, and insights. These are essential for synthesis.
    4. Share findings with your team members to determine the next steps.

    Case study

    GSA used qualitative data analysis when holding feedback sessions for the new .gov registry. This analysis helped researchers sift through feedback and identify key areas for the product's design and development.

    Time required

    3 to 4 hours or more depending on the amount of data collected

    Content Multivariate tests