Leveraging UX research method shifts to uncover guiding user metaphors

The research paper describes mixed-methods Experience Design research instruments that investigate the relationship between cross-cultural identity and location. Qualitative research instruments were designed to initially locate connections between conceptions of the self and symbolic pathways, and then to push out from conceptual paths to find boundaries and key connections between them. This paper details qualitative research into how an African university deploys place-based identity through its website, and how university students navigate through the university portal to desired information. This research uncovered whether the structure of a website reinforced audience notions of place through their use of metaphor, image, and navigation cues. The paper outlines the creation of the research instrument, discusses how early data collection guided later data collection, and finally details how these methods solicit users to define the significance of the data during research method shifts.