This document outlines and describes several qualitative research methods:
- Case studies involve understanding a topic through multiple data sources and can be explanatory, exploratory, or descriptive. They usually focus on an individual subject. One advantage is understanding unique characteristics.
- Ethnography requires immersing yourself in a participant's environment to understand their culture, goals, challenges and emerging themes. It relies on first-hand experience as a participant observer rather than just interviews or surveys.
- Phenomenology uses interviews, documents, videos or visits to understand a participant's own perspectives and insights to identify common themes among 5-25 interviews.
- Grounded theory aims to provide an explanation or theory behind events. It can help inform design