Bystedt, Lynn and Potts have created a rare guidebook for qualitative researchers: a user-friendly introduction to a repertoire of moderating techniques that help add colour, depth - yeah, and fun - to focus groups and depth interviews.
At 142 pages, the book is short, quick and sassy. The authors have split the work into three main sections.
1) Fundamental explorational tools. In which they discuss such things as mind-mapping, storytelling, sorting exercises.
2) Laddering.
3) Exploration of emotions - where they discuss metaphors, collages, projective photos etc.
The main purpose of the book is to introduce qualitative researchers to the basic breadth of techniques they have available: beyond Q&A. Where it is billed as being useful for new researchers as well as the more experienced, I'd suggest that the target really is just the newer researchers: the book lacks the depth to really create a-ha! moments for the more experienced practitioner.
That said, this is a good book that cuts through the jargon and talks to us person to person (a very nice writing style)and would help most younger quallies to sit down and plan their discussion guides. After all, is there anything worse than staring at a blank sheet of paper and thinking - what am I going to ask? How am I going to elicit what the client needs?
The handy guide at the back helps researchers ask: I know what I want, but what technique can I use? It directs us to the right pages: quick and easy. This is a great book for the team. It saves time and helps with creativity. That's value I reckon.
