When we communicate online today, we often use images or media as part of the exchange. The fact that every smartphone has a camera (and video camera) means we can record even casual observations and share them easily with someone, a group or the public. These posted images are one kind of data collected by many who use observational research methods.
But visual exchange is also beneficial for interview researchers.Qualitative Online Interviews contains a full chapter about visual interviews. I've created a "Typology of Visual Online Methods" (2010, 2012, 2015) and you can read a brief introduction. (See Chapter 1 from Cases in Online Interview Research, which is online here. The description starts on page 23.) I've also recorded an overview you can watch:
On Monday, May 12, 2014 at 17:00 GMT (1:00 PM in EDT) I will offer a webinar about visually-rich online interviews. I will demonstrate techniques using a variety of techniques and technologies. We'll also discuss visual methods for online research in this forum. Please post your thoughts, questions, favorite resources or examples!
