The guided tour technique in information science: Explained and illustrated. Issue 1 (2015) - Thomson, Leslie
ABSTRACT: This poster elaborates a research technique—that of the guided tour —that has previously been used in qualitative research, including in some studies carried out by information scientists. The guided tour technique hybridizes visual and aural methods; it involves a researcher's relatively shortened, planned entry into a field site, a participant then leading him or her through a personally meaningful location therein while describing and explaining its features, thinking‐aloud the ideas, thoughts, and feelings to which it gives rise, and responding to gentle, conversational inquiries (Thomson, 2015). In prior information science work, the technique has offered up‐close, in‐depth perspectives on information‐rich settings, be these home collections, workplace archives, or public spaces like museums. After the technique is introduced, the second portion of this poster is devoted to a comparison of use of the guided tour technique in two research scenarios. The first of these involves guided tours during an in‐person study, following the example laid out by prior researchers. The second involves examining data unobtrusively gathered online as a further guided tour adaptation. From these scenarios, it is possible for researchers to see how the guided tour technique can best be applied, its shortcomings, and ways in which it may accommodate research contingencies. The poster concludes by reiterating the value that guided tours can bring to information science work.