The Quick Association Check (QuACk): a resourcelight, ‘bias robust’ method for exploring the relationship between mental models and behaviour patterns with home heating systems

摘要

Easy-to-apply methods, allowing exploration of users’ mentalrnmodels and behaviour with devices, are scarce. Existing methodsrncan be resource-intensive, or fail to mitigate bias, threateningrnoutput validity. This paper describes the development of the QuickrnAssociation Check (QuACk) and highlights the methodologicalrnimprovements following qualitative iterations. QuACk is a semistructuredrninterview with paper-based activities and templates,rnconstructed with consideration of bias from the outset, offering arnquick, resource light method to explore association betweenrnhouseholders’ heating mental models and behaviour patterns.rnThrough qualitative iterations of the method, key revisionsrnidentified the need to: (1) strongly emphasise positioning, guidancernand structure; (2) re-categorise existing ‘shared models’ in thernliterature as ‘device generic’, rather than ‘thermostat specific’ duringrndata interpretation and (3) consider an association at the systemrnlevel, rather than the device level. The potential to apply thernfindings of QuACk to energy-reducing strategies is discussed, andrngeneralisability considered.