These are screen shots of TAMS Analyzer 3.23b1. I have laid out the images roughly in the order that a user sees them as they work through a qualitative research project.

Project window:

Project (files).tiff

The project window is tabbed to manage different aspects of qualitative work. This shot shows the tools for managing, i.e., adding, creating, and grouping files in the project. It also shows how (the buttons in the middle of the window) files are moved into a search list used to mine a data set for information. Project (search).tiff

Here are the tools for searching a data set of interviews, fieldnotes and documents for information coded in different ways. The lower right half of the screen is for managing which subset of codes are visible (for both coding and searching). Double clicking a code from the list on the lower left enters that code into the search list.

Results window:

Results.tiff

Searches initiated from the project window create a “result window.” Result windows are flat file databases consisting of one row per coded passage (if a passage is coded twice, it will have two rows, etc.) along with the text that has been coded and any information affiliated with the coded passage (who is speaking, time they are speaking, etc.), as well as an index of that data in the original file.

Results (selected).tiff

Being a database the results file can be searched and sorted on multiple criteria. Clicking a row shows the data associated with that coded passage in the top half. Here we see three of the total 123 records have been selected (see the status bar under the tool bar).

Document window:

Document.tiff

Double-clicking a row opens the document and selects the relevant data. Document windows have codes on the left side, and a Quicktime player to attach multimedia files with the transcript. The Quicktime player serves as a full featured transcription machine. Documents and media are linked to each other through time codes. Documents can be text, rtf, or rtfd files.

Reports:

Comparison.tiff

There are many reports that can be generated from results windows. Here is one variation of the very powerful data comparison report. In this case it provides counts of different codes based on the current result window selection for each file. With one additional click it could have shown the actual data instead of (or in addition to) the count. If data is included in the comparison report it links back to the result window: clicking that element of the report pulls up and highlights the relevant record in the results window.

Graphviz-app report.tiff TAMS Analyzer  also exports data to other programs. Several reports are generated through award winning Graphviz.app (www.pixelglow.com). Here is a Graphviz equivalent of the last comparison table.

--Matthew Weinstein

Matthew Weinstein

Associate Professor of Science Education

University of Washington-Tacoma

Education Program

1900 Commerce St.

Tacoma, WA 98402

mattheww@u.washington.edu

253 692-4787