ABSTRACT
Researchers can use novel data collection and analysis methods in research and development to provide additional flexibility and increase insight. Text-based data, in particular, provide an excellent method for the collection of observations about human factors. Voice transcripts, survey comments, and several forms of media can be distilled into textual summary notes or via computer and manual transcription. Surveys can add additional comment sections to allow free-form text input. Additionally, researcher notes, comments, and detailed observations can be captured in free-form text. However, the analysis and understanding of these comments is often difficult to perform. This is especially true when the text data are voluminous and unstructured.
This paper will examine two text datasets as examples of collection and analysis methods. The first is spontaneous conversation snippets from UK lorry drivers. The second data set is a contrived questionnaire concerning a new vehicle dashboard display. Graphics, quantitative measurements, and qualitative analysis were generated, and a sentiment lens was enabled to identify positive and negative commentary. Tables were included to illustrate specific insights from the data concerning human factors issues. Finally, notes and commentary describe how to conduct textual data collection and analysis with the automated text analysis software Leximancer.
