McKenzie, Pamela; Hicks, Alison; Bronstein, Jenny; Hyldegård, Jette; Ruthven, Ian; Widén, Gunilla; (2024) The Shape(s) of Information Practice: Using Radial Mapping Qualitatively. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology , 61 (1) pp. 593-597. 10.1002/pra2.1064.

Text Revised_McKenzie_P_AM24_Short_paper.docx.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 16 October 2025. Download (334kB)

Abstract

Information practices comprise both seeking and avoidance. Although information practices scholars use qualitative and visual methods to understand seeking practices, they rarely do so to understand avoidance. This paper proposes a new visual method that supports revealing and explaining the complex interplay of seeking and avoidance in rich qualitative data. We introduce seven dimensions of information seeking and avoidance practice (intensity, granularity, engagement, control, relevance, quality, and timeliness). We conceptualize these visually as axes radiating outward from a central origin. We use Excel radar charts to depict these dimensions, allowing us to identify and characterize the shapes of information seeking and avoidance in everyday information practices. We apply our approach to two cases from published literature to show how mapping reveals the interplay between seeking and avoidance at one point in time and over time. We propose potential data collection and analysis applications of this method for information practices research.

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