First Cycle Coding Content drawn from Johnny Saldana’s The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. David Lee — TIM 158, Spring 2019 Credit: YCombinator : How to Start a Startup Recall generating hypotheses Needfinding is about Recall Who / What How / WhyHello! Thanks! Recall Summary • Go from what to how and why, why, why • Develop a model of an individual • setting, actions → thoughts, feelings → values, motivations • Then reflect on needs • also consider: what is top of mind? hacks and workarounds? Recall Deep, rich understanding of individuals Hypotheses about narrow user segments Hypotheses about solution concepts Recall dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation 7 Generate Evaluate Generate Evaluate Recall dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation 8 Questions Prototype Questions Prototype Recall dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation2018/10/08 9 Recall Follow-up with a 30-min interview. We’re still in hypothesis generating mode! Recall The next two weeks • Revisiting unpacking • Communicating your concept The prototyping process Generate questions !Untested design thesis !Risky design decisions !Unobserved user behaviors Rank questions Which is most critical? Build and test a prototype Answer only the most critical question Recall Today • Overview of Qualitative Analysis and Coding • First Cycle Coding and Analytic Memos for HW #3 What is qualitative research? So first… Qualitative research • When you’re trying to • develop a rich understanding of a complex phenomena and the complex interactions between factors • communicate a holistic interpretation or narrative that helps readers experience “being there” • Ask → Collect → Organize → Analyze → Theory • In our case: a model of the user segments and their context or experiences in relation to our product (segment, setting, sequence, satisfaction) How do you go from qualitative data to patterns, concepts, and theories? Unpacking so far… dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation2018/10/01 Recall dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation KEEP A LIST OF TENSIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, SURPRISES say do think feel 2018/10/01 USE TO FIND NEEDS & INSIGHTS Empathy Map to Help Synthesize dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation INSIGHTS I wonder if this means . . . think feel TENSIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, SURPRISES 2018/10/08 20 USERS & NEEDS dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design, Prototyping & Evaluation combine to create a point of view need insight 2018/10/01 … SU RP ISE D TO D ISC OV ER ... … GA ME -C HA NG ING TO … user attribs. WE MET . . . (extreme user you are inspired by) WE WERE AMAZED TO REALIZE . . . (what did you learn that’s new? What is their need?) IT WOULD BE GA.

1. First Cycle Coding
Content drawn from Johnny Saldana’s The Coding Manual for
Qualitative Researchers.
David Lee — TIM 158, Spring 2019
Credit: YCombinator : How to Start a Startup
Recall
generating hypotheses
Needfinding is about Recall
Who / What How / WhyHello! Thanks!
Recall
Summary
• Go from what to how and why, why, why
• Develop a model of an individual
• setting, actions → thoughts, feelings → values, motivations
• Then reflect on needs
• also consider: what is top of mind? hacks and workarounds?

2. Recall
Deep, rich understanding of individuals
Hypotheses about narrow user segments
Hypotheses about solution concepts
Recall
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation 7
Generate Evaluate Generate Evaluate
Recall
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation 8
Questions Prototype Questions Prototype
Recall
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation2018/10/08 9
Recall
Follow-up with a
30-min interview.

3. We’re still in hypothesis generating mode!
Recall
The next two weeks
• Revisiting unpacking
• Communicating your concept
The prototyping process
Generate questions
!Untested design thesis
!Risky design decisions
!Unobserved user behaviors
Rank questions
Which is most critical?
Build and test a prototype
Answer only the most critical question
Recall
Today
• Overview of Qualitative Analysis and Coding
• First Cycle Coding and Analytic Memos for HW #3
What is qualitative research?
So first…
Qualitative research
• When you’re trying to

4. • develop a rich understanding of a complex phenomena and the
complex
interactions between factors
• communicate a holistic interpretation or narrative that helps
readers experience
“being there”
• Ask → Collect → Organize → Analyze → Theory
• In our case: a model of the user segments and their context or
experiences in
relation to our product (segment, setting, sequence, satisfaction)
How do you go from qualitative data
to patterns, concepts, and theories?
Unpacking so far…
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation2018/10/01
Recall
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation
KEEP A LIST OF
TENSIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, SURPRISES

5. say
do
think
feel
2018/10/01
USE TO FIND NEEDS & INSIGHTS
Empathy Map to Help Synthesize
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation
INSIGHTS
I wonder if this means . . .
think
feel
TENSIONS,
CONTRADICTIONS,
SURPRISES
2018/10/08 20
USERS & NEEDS
dt+UX: Design Thinking for User Experience Design,
Prototyping & Evaluation
combine to create a point of view

6. need insight
2018/10/01 …
SU
RP
ISE
D
TO
D
ISC
OV
ER
...
…
GA
ME
-C
HA
NG
ING
TO
…
user attribs.

7. WE MET . . .
(extreme user you are inspired by)
WE WERE AMAZED TO REALIZE . . .
(what did you learn that’s new? What is their need?)
IT WOULD BE GAME-CHANGING TO . . .
(frame up an inspired challenge for yourself – the insight.)
(don’t dictate the solution.)
There are many techniques
• Flow models
• Critical incident analysis
• Conversation analysis
• Fixed coding
• Open coding / grounded theory (our focus)
• The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Johnny
Saldana
Grounded theory is just a more
systematic version of what you’ve done
“essence-capturing and essential elements of the
research story that, when clustered together according
to similarity and regularity - a pattern - facilitate the
development of categories and analysis of their
connections.”

8. Qualitative coding is about
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Johnny
Saldana
DATA → CODES → CATEGORIES → THEMES → THEORY
General process
• Start from raw data such as interview transcripts, images, etc.
• First cycle coding
• Create essence-capturing codes (labels of and links between
data)
• Second cycle coding
• Build on codes to develop categories (the shape of the explicit
data)
• Build on categories to define concepts and themes (get to
higher-level abstract concepts)
• Show how themes and concepts lead to theory (how they
systematically interrelate)
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (2009), Johnny
Saldana (p. 12)
First cycle
focused on
who/what

9. Second cycle
moving from
who/what to
how/why
General process
• As you go, write analytic memos
• Partial reflections and syntheses written as you go
• Happens in a cyclical manner. You’ve collected enough data
when
• You can provide deep slices of understanding to others
• You are starting to encounter the same things (not learning)
• You can use 6-10 as a rough heuristic
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (2009), Johnny
Saldana (p. 43)
First and second cycle
coding intermixed with
data collection and
memo writing
Gradual development
from codes to categories
to theory, facilitated by
memo writing

10. General process
• End with annotated data, hierarchical coding scheme,
codebook, analytic
memos, developed theory
• For us, the “theory” we’re aiming for is a hypothesized model
that is:
• grounded in user data and quotes
• a cohesive narrative and logical interpretation
• communicated richly to help the reader in “being there”
• Remember: we are generating not validating hypotheses, so
choose
diverse perspectives
SEGMENT → SETTING → SEQUENCE → SATISFACTION
Recall: the model in our case
We’re just going to get
a taste of this process
Today
• Overview of Qualitative Analysis and Coding
• First Cycle Coding and Analytic Memos for HW #3
Coding methods

11. Lots of different
coding methods!
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (2013), Johnny
Saldana (p. 59)
representing raw data with discrete “codes” that define
“summative,
salient, essence-capturing, evocative” aspects of the data
First cycle coding
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Johnny
Saldana
transitioning from managing, focusing, highlighting, filtering
data to generate categories, themes, and theory
Second cycle coding
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Johnny
Saldana
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (2013), Johnny
Saldana (p. 59)
• You can think of these as just fancy
names for different approaches or
focuses to creating labels,
• At what level of granularity?
• What are we labeling?

12. • How are we labeling it?
• Different coding methods support
different theoretical emphases and
have different ways of analyzing them
• Not mutually exclusive (you could be doing
multiple at a time)
What level of granularity?
• Attribute coding: labeling the dataset as a whole
• fieldwork setting and time, participant characteristics,
variables of interest for analysis
• Holistic / structural coding: labeling sections of data
• skim through and chunk text into topic areas (emergent or
study based)
• Line-by-line coding: create a finer discrete representation of
data
• summative, salient, essence-capturing, evocative labels
How are the codes chosen?
• In Vivo coding: grounding codes in words of the user
• codes labeled in “quotes” drawn from user responses
• Hypothesis coding: predetermined codes
• record instances conforming to a coding scheme to assess a
researcher-

13. generated hypothesis
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (2013), Johnny
Saldana (p. 189)
Attribute codes
Holistic/structural code
Line-by-line/sentence-
by-sentence codes
What is the coding focus?
• Descriptive coding: the topics
• the things being talked about (often nouns)
• Process coding: the action in the
data
• what is happening? has happened? would
like to happen? (often gerunds, -ing words)
• observable (e.g. reading) and conceptual
(e.g. struggling)
Saldana, pg 89
Saldana, pg 97
What is the coding focus?
• Emotion coding: the feelings a participant
experiences

14. • a feeling and its distinctive thoughts, psychological
and biological states, and range of propensities to act
• Evaluation coding: judgments of merit of
program/product
• describe attributes and details assessing quality
• compare how the program measures up to a standard
or ideal.
• predict recommendations for change and how they
might be implemented.
Saldana, pg 107
Saldana, pg 121
What is the coding focus?
• Values coding: a participants’ integrated
value, attitude, and belief systems
• A value is the importance we attribute to oneself,
another person, thing, or idea.
• An attitude is the way we think and feel about
ourselves, another person, thing, or idea.
• A belief is part of a system including our values,
attitudes, personal knowledge, experiences, opinions,
prejudices, morals, and other interpretive perceptions.
Can be considered rules for action.
• Versus coding: the tensions and conflicts

15. • the individuals, groups, social systems, organizations,
phenomena, processes, concepts, etc., in direct conflict
with each other
Saldana, pg 112
Saldana, pg 116
Who / What How / WhyHello! Thanks!
Recall
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (2013), Johnny
Saldana (p. 189)
Can mix codes:
Descriptive, Emotion, In
Vivo, Versus Codes
representing raw data with discrete “codes” that define
“summative,
salient, essence-capturing, evocative” aspects of the data
First cycle coding
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Johnny
Saldana
Recall
A typical first cycle coding process

16. • Decide what set of coding methods are appropriate for your
goals
• Make 1-2 passes through the data to create those codes
• While you are doing this:
• Mark any particularly interesting quotes (evocative,
illustrative, etc.)
• Write down reflections you have as short analytic memos
• Remember your goals are to develop grounded theory and
communicate a rich sense of “being there”
Analytic memos
Reflections on “your coding process and choices;
how the process of inquiry is taking place; and the
emergent patterns, categories, and subcategories,
themes and concepts in your data — all possibly
leading toward theory”
Analytic memos are essential personal reflections
Help facilitate codes to theory
• Data collection, coding, and analytic memo writing are
intermixed from the
beginning to the end
• From codes: “Think of a code not as a label, but as a prompt
or trigger for written reflection on the
deeper meanings it evokes”

17. • To categories: “Analytic memo writing serves as an additional
code and category-generating method”
• To final write-up: “Your reflections generate potential
material for formulating a set of core ideas for
presentation”
• “Whenever anything related to or significant about the coding
or analysis of
the data comes to mind, stop whatever you’re doing and write a
memo about
it immediately”
How to write memos
• Just write your reflections! Then categorize and label
• 1) date, 2) title describing type of memo, 3) evocative subtitle
describing essence of content
• Many types of memos such as reflections on
• Your study’s research questions
• Possible networks (links, connections, overlaps, flows) among
codes, categories, concepts
• Emergent categories, concepts, themes
• Emergent or related existing theory
• Future directions for the study
Example: passage being coded
Saldana, pg 43

18. Memo type: research study
Saldana, pg 44
Write the predetermined research questions, purposes, or goals
and then elaborate on
answers in progress
Memo type: networks
Saldana, pg 45
Integrate your codes into a narrative (codeweaving) to interpret
how individual
components weave together in hierarchies, chronological flows,
influences and affects, etc.
Memo type: emergent categories/concepts
Saldana, pg 45
Begin to create a sense of order to your analysis through
tentative categories, themes,
higher-level concepts, assertions, etc.
Example: related theory memo
Saldana, pg 46
Speculate how your observations generalize to larger groups or
even the universal. Predict or

19. explain actions. Explore metaphors suggesting transferability.
Integrate/compare existing theory.
Example: future directions memo
Saldana, pg 47
Note down new ideas, research questions, need for additional
data. Could even
reconceptualize entire initial approach.
HW #3
is just a small taste of this systematic process
HW #3: Code your interview
• Preparation: Annotate it with attribute and holistic/structural
codes
• Who/What: use descriptive and process codes to describe the
characters, setting, and
other context
• How/Why: Use emotion, evaluation, values, versus coding to
develop a richer view
of the participant context and experiences. Bias towards using
in vivo codes to ground
these in the user’s language.
• Memos: Write short analytic memos that use codeweaving to
write short narratives
of the participant context and experiences
• (On Wednesday) We’ll talk about organizing codes into

20. categories and defining models of
our participant and of hypothesized user segments