What makes a (human) e-reader?

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

This is what I wondered about too.

The question asked for the respondent's personal definition and included an "other" option, allowing as much specificity as could be fitted in 100 characters, precisely to accommodate the wide variety of responses possible. I'm used to answering "other" to that very question in surveys because of my own background. Listing all 190+ member states of the UN as separate ethnic/cultural options seemed a mite unwieldy, and would definitely have pushed the survey's average completion time well past the 90 seconds or so that it took those who completed it.

It seems that with very few exceptions exceptions those most troubled by or who had the most trouble with that question all reside in North America, and almost all are people who choose to self-identify as "white". The question followed a pattern that is standard in most non-country-specific global surveys I've participated in before, including many run by US-based research companies. The ardor of the reactions it has caused has been quite fascinating as an unexpected sociological study all on its own.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

The question asked for the respondent's personal definition and included an "other" option, allowing as much specificity as could be fitted in 100 characters, precisely to accommodate the wide variety of responses possible. I'm used to answering "other" to that very question in surveys because of my own background. Listing all 190+ member states of the UN as separate ethnic/cultural options seemed a mite unwieldy, and would definitely have pushed the survey's average completion time well past the 90 seconds or so that it took those who completed it.

It seems that with very few exceptions exceptions those most troubled by or who had the most trouble with that question all reside in North America, and almost all are people who choose to self-identify as "white". The question followed a pattern that is standard in most non-country-specific global surveys I've participated in before, including many run by US-based research companies. The ardor of the reactions it has caused has been quite fascinating as an unexpected sociological study all on its own.

I understand this is apparently standard survey terminology where you are from so you didn't expect it to confuse anyone.

In the US we are used to surveys that ask for race/ethnicity with choices typically including White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American. These days surveys often have a choice for "other" to accommodate people who don't identify with any of the listed categories. There is also often an option to skip the question altogether.

I think of "Europe" as a large area of many nations and cultures that could include people of various races.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

These days surveys often have a choice for "other" to accommodate people who don't identify with any of the listed categories.

This question did, and many respondents used it.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

This question did, and many respondents used it.

yes, sorry if I was confusing, I was intending just to explain what I am used to seeing in the US whether or not it was on your survey.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

yes, sorry if I was confusing, I was intending just to explain what I am used to seeing in the US whether or not it was on your survey.

Indeed. It has been surprising to me how vigorously US participants have expressed themselves about this question in particular, given that the option to self-identify existed. As I stated in a previous response, other surveys run by US-based research companies for a multinational market use the same basic format as the one I used.

The objection seems to be "we don't say it that way here", when the survey's target respondents were not drawn from any one "here". This is a reality acknowledged by those US research companies who use similar wording and answer options when designing surveys for a target audience including countries other than the US.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Indeed. It has been surprising to me how vigorously US participants have expressed themselves about this question in particular, given that the option to self-identify existed. As I stated in a previous response, other surveys run by US-based research companies for a multinational market use the same basic format as the one I used.

The objection seems to be "we don't say it that way here", when the survey's target respondents were not drawn from any one "here". This is a reality acknowledged by those US research companies who use similar wording and answer options when designing surveys for a target audience including countries other than the US.

Fascinating and disheartening from this Yank’s perspective. I honestly didn’t get the problem; especially in a “fun” quiz, don’t you just pick the likeliest option and move on? I didn’t see anything confusing about it in any case, the options so clearly correlated to race and not to culture or geography.

[cfrizz]

But again, it didn't allow for choosing more than one, so I had to use other. It wasn't confusing, it simply needed more choices.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

But again, it didn't allow for choosing more than one, so I had to use other. It wasn't confusing, it simply needed more choices.

It did. If you add up the choices, it’s over 100%; i.e., some chose more than one option. I admit I didn’t look that far, as one served for me.

[DiapDealer]

I have yet to see any kind of poll on any kind of online forum that didn't result in a moderate to major potato pile of what was wrong with the poll. It seems to be some sort of international online pasttime or something.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

But again, it didn't allow for choosing more than one, so I had to use other. It wasn't confusing, it simply needed more choices.

Actually, it did. THAT was the one really stupid mistake I made, forgetting to explicitly state that. I am so used to working with "square boxes mean multiple response, round ones single responses" that I completely forgot to add "Multiple responses possible." An error which, on the upside, confirms my humanity according to (allegedly) Seneca Jr.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I have yet to see any kind of poll on any kind of online forum that didn't result in a moderate to major potato pile of what was wrong with the poll. It seems to be some sort of international online pasttime or something.

Yep, polls can be guaranteed to make respondents cry "Havoc!" compared to some, this one has merely let slip a a few slightly bellicose chihuahuas

[Uncle Robin]

Now THIS is freaky timing: I just visited xkcd and saw that the latest strip has gone up in the last few hours. How did he KNOW?
POLLS

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Actually, it did. THAT was the one really stupid mistake I made, forgetting to explicitly state that. I am so used to working with "square boxes mean multiple response, round ones single responses" that I completely forgot to add "Multiple responses possible." An error which, on the upside, confirms my humanity according to (allegedly) Seneca Jr.

I never heard that about the shape of the boxes before.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Gardenman

I never heard that about the shape of the boxes before.

As I mentioned in my first mea culpa about this, I knew this because of working in the industry for a long time.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by Gardenman

I never heard that about the shape of the boxes before.

That's been the convention in UI design for a while. A round box is what's known as a "radio button", named after old analog tuners where when you pushed one button in, any other button that is pressed pops out -- you can only select one. Whereas the square ones are called a "checkbox", and you can check as many as you'd like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_button
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkbox