Putting graphic elicitation into practice: Tools and typologies for the use of participant-led diagrams in qualitative research interviews

The use of diagrams to stimulate dialogue in research interviews, a
technique known as graphic elicitation, has burgeoned since the year 2000.
Reviews of the graphic elicitation literature have relied on the inconsistent
terminology currently used to index visual methods, and have so far drawn
only a partial picture of their use. Individual diagrams are seen as standalone
tools, often linked to particular disciplines, rather than as images
created from a toolbox of common elements which can be customized to
suit a research study. There is a need to examine participant-led
diagramming with a view to matching the common elements of diagrams
with the objectives of a research project. This article aims to provide an
overview of diagramming techniques used in qualitative data collection
with individual participants, to relate the features of diagrams to the
aspects of the social world they represent, and to suggest how to choose a
technique to suit a research question.