Triangulation
Using several sources, methods, researchers, or theories to study the same thing and check whether the results agree.
What problem it addresses
Helps avoid drawing conclusions from a single source, which may be biased or incomplete.
An example
The team believes people do not use a feature because they cannot find it.
When several different sources agree, the conclusion is much more solid.
Why it happens
Each source has its own biases.
By cross-checking them, the biases of one offset those of another.
What agrees is more reliable; what does not is worth investigating.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Combine at least two different methods (for example, interviews and usage data) before concluding.
Avoid
Looking only for sources that confirm what you already thought.
Don’t fall for it
If the sources do not agree, do not hide it: investigate why.
4 types
What the research says
Denzin distinguished triangulation of data, of researchers, of theories, and of methods (Denzin, 1978).
Solid evidence. It is a widely accepted methodological principle in the social sciences; it is also used to detect contradictions, not only to confirm.
Connections
Authors and works
- 1978
Norman Denzin
Systematized the types of triangulation in The Research Act.
Sources
Original sources
- Denzin, N. K. (1978). The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods (2nd ed.). Aldine. (1st ed. published 1970)
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