1 min lesson
The two axes that place every method
Describe what "A method's position tells you instantly what it can and can't see" changes in practice.
Step 1 of 3
The two axes that place every methodwhat people say vs what they do; depth vs scale
Lay methods on a grid. The vertical axis is attitudinal (what people say, believe, prefer) versus behavioral (what they actually do). The horizontal axis is qualitative depth versus quantitative scale. A method's position tells you instantly what it can and can't see.
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Advanced table
Reference table
- Method
- Interviews
- Attitudinal / Behavioral
- Attitudinal
- Qual / Quant
- Qual
- Answers
- Why, motivations, mental models
- Method
- Usability testing
- Attitudinal / Behavioral
- Behavioral (observed)
- Qual / Quant
- Qual
- Answers
- Where the flow breaks and why
- Method
- Diary / field study
- Attitudinal / Behavioral
- Behavioral (self-reported)
- Qual / Quant
- Qual
- Answers
- What happens in real context over time
- Method
- Survey
- Attitudinal / Behavioral
- Attitudinal
- Qual / Quant
- Quant
- Answers
- How widespread an attitude is
- Method
- Log / product analytics
- Attitudinal / Behavioral
- Behavioral
- Qual / Quant
- Quant
- Answers
- What people actually do at scale
- Method
- A/B experiment
- Attitudinal / Behavioral
- Behavioral
- Qual / Quant
- Quant
- Answers
- Whether a change causes an outcome
| Method | Attitudinal / Behavioral | Qual / Quant | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interviews | Attitudinal | Qual | Why, motivations, mental models |
| Usability testing | Behavioral (observed) | Qual | Where the flow breaks and why |
| Diary / field study | Behavioral (self-reported) | Qual | What happens in real context over time |
| Survey | Attitudinal | Quant | How widespread an attitude is |
| Log / product analytics | Behavioral | Quant | What people actually do at scale |
| A/B experiment | Behavioral | Quant | Whether a change causes an outcome |
Most strong plans pair one attitudinal and one behavioral method to cross-check the same question.