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Figure 6.12. A report sample with a participant's comments
Next, determine whether there are new subjects or new characteristics represented in the
additional information. Apply the Subject-Identification Technique and the Characteristic-
Identification Technique to the comments attached to the report. Here's an example of how
you apply these techniques to the first comment in Figure 6.12 :
“Can we include the vendor name ? It would make it easier to
identify a specific product .”
Here you've identified both a subject and a characteristic. (Note that the subject and char-
acteristic aren't directly related: “vendor name” is a characteristic of a vendor, not of a
product. There's no problem here, but you should be aware that this apparent mismatch of
subjects and characteristics is typical. You'll address this issue later in the design process.)
Now, check your subjects list and characteristics list to determine whether you've already
accounted for these items. If you have, move on to the next comment and repeat this pro-
cedure.
Ifyoudodiscoveranewsubject,addittoyourlistofsubjectsandthenidentifyasmanyof
its characteristics as possible. When you're finished, add these items to your list of charac-
teristics, move on to the next comment, and repeat the entire procedure. In many instances,
however, you'll only identify new characteristics. Don't be alarmed. People often want to
add items to a report that are characteristics of subjects that are already represented by the
information on the report.
Finally, reexamine each report and determine if you have questions or concerns about the
notes participants have made. For instance, you may question the rationale behind one par-
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