Chapter 14 — Human factors and cyber policy: methods I

Lesson map

Lesson 14 published. Map, example, EX040.

flowchart TD
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["14.1 Survey"]
  N2["Lab — Survey barriers among 150 responses"]
  N3["14.2 Interviews"]
  N4["14.3 Summarising for action"]
  N5["Synthesis"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5
  N5 --> EX["Worked example"]
  EX --> Q["Exercise EX040"]

Logical drawing

flowchart LR
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["14.1 Survey"]
  N2["Lab — Survey barriers among 150 responses"]
  N3["14.2 Interviews"]
  N4["14.3 Summarising for action"]
  N5["Synthesis"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5 --> Q["EX040"]

[Learning outcomes]
    |
    v
[14.1 Survey]
    |
    v
[Lab — Survey barriers among 150 responses]
    |
    v
[14.2 Interviews]
    |
    v
[14.3 Summarising for action]
    |
    v
[Synthesis]
    |
    v
[Worked example] --> [Exercise EX040]

Learning outcomes

You will (1) run a short anonymous survey; (2) conduct brief interviews; (3) summarise findings for action.

14.1 Survey

Lucas designs a five-question anonymous survey for all staff about reporting suspicious emails: whether they know how, whether they have reported, what stops them, whether they received a reply and how confident they feel. He keeps it short so busy staff can complete it in two minutes. The practice manager approves it and staff representatives review the wording. He receives 150 responses from 210 staff. The lab counts answers to the barrier question. Staff are told the survey is anonymous and that results will be shared with everyone in a short summary at the next monthly meeting.

Lab — Survey barriers among 150 responses

# Survey barriers among 150 responses (multiple choice, synthetic).
b = {"unsure IT wants it": 64, "don't know how": 41, "too busy": 33, "never heard back": 29, "fear of blame": 18}
for k, v in sorted(b.items(), key=lambda x: -x[1]): print(f"{k}: {v}/150 = {v / 150:.0%}")

Run with python3 lab_barrier.py. Verified output:

unsure IT wants it: 64/150 = 43%
don't know how: 41/150 = 27%
too busy: 33/150 = 22%
never heard back: 29/150 = 19%
fear of blame: 18/150 = 12%

14.2 Interviews

Lucas interviews six staff from different roles for fifteen minutes each, with consent and without recording names. He asks them to describe the last suspicious message they received and what they did. Receptionists say they often delete suspicious emails because they are unsure if IT wants them. A clinician says she reported once and never heard back, so she stopped. Interviews give the reasons behind the survey numbers and suggest specific fixes that the survey alone could not reveal. Each interview note is checked with the person.

14.3 Summarising for action

Lucas summarises his findings in three action points: tell staff clearly that unsure reports are welcome; add a report button so reporting takes seconds; and reply to every report within the same day. He links each to survey figures and interview quotes, removing anything that could identify individuals. The practice manager approves all three. Turning findings into a short list of actions helps busy managers decide quickly, and it keeps the study focused on improving the service. Staff see the same summary.

Worked example

Lucas surveys 150 staff and interviews six, finding uncertainty and missing feedback as main barriers, and proposes three actions.

Synthetic case. Data are synthetic.

Errors and limits

Survey answers are self-reported. Six interviews are few.

Exercises

• EX040 — Response rate. What was the survey response rate?
  Show marking criteria

  Rubric: 3 = about 71%;; 2 = 150 of 210;; 1 = 150%;; 0 = none.
• EX041 — Top barrier. What was the top barrier in the lab?
  Show marking criteria

  Rubric: 3 = unsure IT wants it, 64 of 150 or 43%;; 2 = uncertainty;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX042 — Clinician story. Why did the clinician stop reporting?
  Show marking criteria

  Rubric: 3 = she never heard back;; 2 = no feedback;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.

Synthesis

Short surveys and interviews together reveal barriers and point to clear actions.

Continue studying — chapter 14 of 30

← Chapter 13 (draft) · Course chapter index · Chapter 15 (draft) →