Would you blame the Butterfly?:
Interplay of Consequences, Ambiguity and Responsibility

Data Collection

My goal was simple: to collect as many responses as possible in a short time.
Since this stage aimed to observe the majority opinion, response volume was more important than depth. That’s why I chose the dot poll format:

 

• One question

• Two answer options

• Eye-catching coloured stickers 

• Simple interaction: hear the question, stick a dot, and leave → No stalling

​

In that one week of collecting data, I talked to more people than I had during my entire three years at university—168 people.

What differentiates stage 3 from the prior two stages is the public engagement. Unlike a one-way survey or an interview, this method allowed a two-way communication, more collaboration. The interesting part in the process of interacting with the participants is that their verbal and non-verbal reactions also become the data, providing insights to the research (UK Research and Innovation, n.d.). 

I enjoyed the process—one person insisted on creating a third option in the middle and a philosophy student took a picture of the board, that he wants to discuss it his friend. Unexpected events like these reminded me again the joy of research.