ReseaRch MethoD 90Triading Triading is an interviewing technique that reveals deep-seated attitudes, perceptions, and feelings toward brands, products, and services. Triadingisapowerfulinterviewingtechniquethatcanbeusedtoelicitconstructsthatpeoplecreate inordertomakesenseoftheworldaroundthem.GeorgeKellypioneeredthemethodasastepin theRepertory Gridelicitationprocess,anditsfoundationsaregroundedinhisPersonal Construct Theory. 1 TheRepertoryGridtechniquewasdesignedspecificallytoextractparticipants'personal constructswhileatthesametimeminimizingresearcherbiasandinfluenceduringinterviews. Theprocessoftriadingfirstrequiresthateithertheresearcherortheparticipantselectsixtoten concreteandrelatedbrands,products,orservicesfromaparticulardomain.Theseexamples--which arethestimuliofthestudy--shouldrepresentarangeofoptionsrepresentativeofthedomain. Ideally,participantsshouldbefamiliarwitheachoftheexamplespriortothesession,asthepurpose ofthestudyistoelicitwhatisimportantandmeaningfultothem. Oncethesixtotenexamples/stimulifromthedomainareselected,theresearchersimplyasksthe participanttopickthreeoftheexamples(atriad)fordiscussion,andthenaskstheparticipantto explainhowtheyfeeltwoofthethreeexamplesdifferfromthethird.Indoingso,aconstructthat appliestoallthreeexamples--andthathasmeaningtotheparticipant--isrevealed.Thisprocess canberepeatedasmanytimesasnecessary,eachtimewithanewtriad,andthegoalistoelicit asmanyconstructsaboutthedomainthatareimportanttotheparticipant. 1.GeorgeKelly'spersonalconstructtheory positsthathumansdevisesubjective classifications--personalconstructs--in ordertomakesenseoftheworldaround us.Todothis,wedevisecontinuums,by whichwerateandjudgesimilarstimuli. Thecontinuumsprovideuswithameans topredictoutcomes,andmakemeaningof newstimuliasitisintroducedandtestsour existingconstructs.SeeGeorgeKelly'stwo- volumeopus: Kelly,George.The Psychology of Personal Constructs (Volumes 1 and 2).NewYork: Norton,1955. 2.Karapanos,Evangelos,Jean-Bernard Martens,andMarcHassenzahl."Accounting forDiversityinSubjectiveJudgments." Proceedings of CHI 2009,2009.