100 Word Clouds

Information visualization that organizes text-based content into interesting arrangements

• Text collages that show the most frequently used words in just about any text-based document.

• Words are assigned different font sizes; usually, the bigger the word, the more frequently it occurs.

• Clouds are made engaging through various dimensions such as typeface, font size, colors, and number of words, word proximity, and word orientation.

• Qualify where word cloud data came from, collection methods, what the fonts, colors, sizes, etc. mean, and disclosure of any data scrubbing or segmenting.

• When archiving transcripts, the visual markers of each cloud create a gestalt unique to each transcript that can facilitate recall.

• Word clouds can be a lighthearted way to engage stakeholders in discussion about the gist of transcripts before delving into more rigorous analysis techniques.

See also   Content Analysis • Exploratory Research • Interviews

Here is a word cloud generated from interviews with parents of picky eaters. When segmented based on meaningful criteria, word clouds can reveal potentially insightful and surprising themes.