Facilitating Interviews in Qualitative Research With Visual Tools: A Typology

Area of Science:

• Qualitative Research Methods
• Visual Methodologies in Social Sciences

Background:

• Visual methods are increasingly utilized in qualitative research for data generation, analysis, and dissemination.
• Their application spans various stages of the research process, offering new avenues for inquiry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a preliminary typology categorizing five purposes of visual methods in qualitative interviews.
• To demonstrate the utility of visual tools in achieving these aims.
• To present an ethical framework for the use of visual tools in qualitative research.

Main Methods:

• Development of a preliminary typology based on identified purposes.
• Presentation of examples of visual tools and their applications.
• Review and structuring of an existing ethical framework for visual tool use.

Main Results:

• A typology of five purposes for visual methods: enabling communication, representing data, enhancing data quality and validity, facilitating relationships, and effecting change.
• Examples illustrating the practical application of visual tools for these purposes.
• An ethical framework addressing confidentiality, consent, representation, authorship, and harm minimization.

Conclusions:

• Visual methods offer diverse benefits in qualitative research, supported by a structured ethical framework.
• Further research is needed to test and extend the typology and evaluate the effectiveness of visual tools.