Engaging Participants in Online Interviews: Lessons Learned from Implementing a Participatory Visual Approach in Two Explorative Health Information Behavior Studies

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article provides a theoretical background on participatory approaches in (health) information behavior studies. Furthermore, it introduces and discusses the implementation of a visual participatory approach applied in two explorative health information behavior studies, each conducted online via Zoom and with the virtual whiteboard Miro. One study examined the health information behavior and digital well‐being of individuals with social anxiety (n = 22), while the other explored health information behavior in the context of false information and scientificity (n = 21). The approach aimed to actively engage participants within the interview setting through creative and visual elaboration and representation of health information interactions using the virtual whiteboard Miro. Findings show that using visual materials during face‐to‐face interviews facilitated the communication about sensitive health content and supported to capture key statements in situ, promoting the externalization of tacit knowledge during the interviews. Despite the content differences of the two studies, the unifying aspect examined in this article is how the implementation of the visual participatory approaches could enhance interview settings and lead to gathering rich data. This article fills a gap for methodological considerations of participatory techniques within (health) information behavior studies.