Stevens' Four Levels of Measurement
Data is not just numbers; Stevens' levels classify the nature of information each variable holds. In UX research, this determines whether you can average feedback or only count it. Treating every rating scale as a ratio number wrecks your analysis.
Data is not just numbers; Stevens' levels classify the nature of information each variable holds. In UX research, this framework decides whether you can calculate a mean satisfaction score or simply tally category frequencies. The four levels nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio form a hierarchy of mathematical power. The common footgun is treating ordinal survey responses as interval data and running invalid parametric tests, which produces misleading conclusions about user behavior.
Read the original → Wikipedia: Level of measurement
- #ux research
- #statistics
- #data types
- #stevens
- #research methods
Get five bites like this every day.
Tezvyn delivers a daily feed of 60-second tech bites with quizzes to lock in what you learn.