Table 5.

Method selection for included studies

Overall method type	Qualitative	65
	Quantitative	13
	Mixed	35
	Unclear	9
	Did not apply	5
Specific methods applied	Ethnographic observation	65
	Interviews	58
	Artifact collection*	29
	Structured observation†	26
	Surveys	19
	Recording‡	17
	Focus groups	15
	Software extraction§	12
	Simulation	11
	Modeling¶	7
	Usability methods**	7
	Diary††	6
	Expert panel	3
	Participant observation‡‡	3
	Discourse analysis	1

^*Artifact collection: analysis of documents, software tools, physical objects.

^†Structured observation: work sampling, task analysis, timing studies.

^‡Recording: photographs, audiotaping, videotaping.

^§Software extraction: tracking usage of specific software features, tracing flow of information through a software system, analyzing overall patterns of software use.

^¶Modeling: various approaches to creating flow charts of work processes.

^**Usability techniques: Collaborative Analysis of Requirements and Design (CARD) methodology, technology profile analysis, root cause analysis, use of a “think aloud” protocol.

^††Diary: subjects self-recorded work activity or behavior data.

^‡‡Participant observation: researcher actively participated in work activities.