In the following section we would address the methods that we have chosen to use during our research. Originally at the beginning of our research we had a wide variety of methods we wished to use (see Journal 1 & Journal 3). Due to the time constraint of physically being in Williams Lake for one week we’ve since narrowed down our methods and prioritized them in importance. While we’re actually there the paper surveys and informal interviews are some of the things that are the top of the list. At the moment we’re still researching travel diaries and deciding whether they will be feasible to do during the limited time we have in Williams Lake.

Web Surveys

• pros
  • low cost
  • respondent can choose on own time when to respond
  • rapid collection of data
  • easier administration of survey, simultaneous data collection
  • can survey hard to reach groups by collaborating with different community leaders
• cons
  • uneven internet access
  • uneven technological capabilities and time spent on the internet (method biased towards certain demographics)
  • low response rates due to low awarness
  • being on the internet allows more multitasking than paper or phone surveys
  • couldn’t reach certain targeting group (people who can’t afford internet access)
  • biases (coverage bias, sampling error, measurement error, non-response bias)
  • different understanding of some questions by some respondents can cause poor quality results (if there isn’t someone to explain)

Paper Surveys

• Pros
  • May reach members of the community that would have missed the online survey (Elderly and children)
  • More genuine since its conducted in person, easier for people to understand our purpose
  • Question may be explained by our team when it is unclear to the person answering
• Cons
  • Time consuming to distribute and collect
  • Cost of printing large of paper copy
  • Limited human power to walk into different communities
  • Distributing the survey as a “city foreigner”: people might not feel comfortable being approached by a group of university students coming from outside the region.

Travel Diaries

• Pros
  • Allows for an in depth perspective on the experiences of public transportation users
  • detailed information on how people in Williams Lake commute to different places
• Cons
  • Will ultimately be from a limited number of people, thereby being a small sample size (and not representative of the whole)
  • Time consuming for participant, hard to gain interest.

Public participation map

• Pros
  • A visual activity may appeal to different people within the community
  • Will allow us to see what locations are most frequented which can be difficult using other means
  • more interactive and would possibly attract more people to participate.
• Cons
  • Depending on the location we post, it in we may get bias results.
  • Difficult to know how seriously it is being taken.
  • Bring a huge map around different places in town.

Informal interviews

• Pros
  • understanding the different opinions on public transit in the city from various population groups.
  • may develop into genuine conversation which allows participant to answer in depth questions.
  • gaining different perspectives on how people feel about our project.
• Cons
  • result may be bias depending on the participant
  • how to approach people: people might not feel comfortable being interviewed by students coming from outside the region.
  • not enough time to gather sufficient information to prove a certain argument.