This week it was my turn to write an essay and prepare a workshop where we present our findings. My workshop partner was Meagan Crowe.
Our main readings were:
The topic is about how and why we test our designs. While these texts aren’t necessarily against the current ways we evaluate outcomes they do want us to challenge some of the assumptions people have when looking at data and the way we test this data. We favour quantitative data a lot more as it can prove the validity of a claim. Qualitative data on the other hand is more about the individual so it is a lot harder to reproduce findings in a different environment. Still, after reading the texts I wanna make some arguments on why we should be more mindful of this kind of data. Only looking at data can make it hard to truly understand the human behind it and it is also natural for us to cherrypick certain data to best support the results we want to find. By also considering more qualitative approaches we can expose some of the biases we have and while it is almost impossible to get rid of some preconceived impressions taking this first step will certainly lead in the right direction. Quantitative data on the other hand shouldn’t be dismissed either and would advocate for a more balanced approach. My thoughts on the topic are still forming and developing but down below would be my essay for anyone that is interested in some more detailed thoughts.