Summary of method recommendations

The image below shows my recommendations for the use of the various story collection options mentioned here in some of the conditions you might encounter in your project.

A key to the colors:

• A green box means the row+column (option+condition) combination is often a good one. For example, using anyonymity is often helpful when you need a wide variety of perspectives.
• A yellow box means the combination can be good but it depends on various factors (including how prepared and experienced you are and what the reactions of your storytellers are) and can be risky. For example, observation when a topic is sensitive could go well or poorly depending on many factors.
• A red box means the combination is not recommended as it usually does not work well. For example, asking very busy people to fill out a survey or participate in a storytelling exercise, especially a long one, will not usually be fruitful.
• A blank box means the condition does not usually have a big impact on the choice of that option. For example, whether your storytellers are uncomfortable with technology has no impact on the type of story-eliciting questions used.

"ST" means "storytellers".