Practising Thematic Analysis:  
From In-Depth Qualitative Data to 
Implications for Design 
Aparecido Fabiano Pinatti de Carvalho 
Institute of Information Systems 
University of Siegen, Germany 
Fabiano.Pinatti@acm.org  

Pinatti de Carvalho, Aparecido Fabiano (2022): Introduction to Practice-centred 
Computing. In: Proceedings of the 20th European Conference on Computer-Supported 
Cooperative Work: The International Venue on Practice-centred Computing on the 
Design of Cooperation Technologies – Masterclasses, Reports of the European Society 
for Socially Embedded Technologies (ISSN
2510-2591), DOI: 10.48340/ecscw2022_mc02 

Copyright 2022 held by Authors, DOI: 10.18420/ecscw2022_mc02 

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use 
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Abstract. Much of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and Human-
Computer Interaction (HCI) research and practice is noticeably grounded on deep
understandings of users’ contexts and practices. In order to achieve such 
understandings, assorted socio-scientific qualitative methods for data collection – e.g., in-
depth interview, ethnographic observation and focus group – and analysis – e.g., 
discourse analysis, content analysis, and thematic analysis – have been appropriated 
and used within these fields. In this masterclass, participants will be introduced to a 
particular approach to thematic analysis (TA), which has been instrumental in many 
CSCW and HCI projects. The masterclass will particularly focus on how TA can be 
successfully used to move from rich qualitative data towards empirically grounded 
implications for design to orient the conceptualisation and development of new and 
innovative computer technologies. By means of a practical exercise, consisted of 
thematically analysing an interview transcript collaboratively, participants will have the 
opportunity to go through all the phases of the referred approach and understand how it 
can help them demonstrate rigour in the generation of implications for design. 

mailto:Fabiano.Pinatti@acm.org


  

 
 

 
   

  
   

    
  

 
 

 
  

   
   

   
   

    
  

   
  

 

 
    

   
  

  
  

 
   
 

 

Contextualisation  
Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) research and practice have been 
traditionally predicated upon the appropriation and use of different socio-
scientific methods to generate the conceptual and theoretical constructs necessary 
for the design and development of useful computing systems. Within the realms 
of practice-centred computing, special attention has been placed on qualitative
methods (Wulf et al., 2015). Methods like in-depth interviews (Hermanowicz, 
2002), participant observation (McKechnie, 2008), and diaries (Gaver, Dunne 
and Pacenti, 1999) have been recurrently used to provide accounts of the user 
contexts and their practices. These methods inherently generate an extensive and 
rich body of data, which needs to be carefully analysed in order to generate the 
abovementioned conceptual and theoretical constructs. 

There are many and various methods and approaches at the disposal of 
researchers for the analysis of qualitative data, e.g., phenomenological analysis 
(Finlay, 2012; Finlay and Eatough, 2012), conversation and discourse analysis 
(Wooffitt, 2005; Trappes-Lomax, 2018), qualitative content analysis (Mayring, 
2014) and the approaches for the construction of Grounded Theories (Glaser and 
Strauss, 1967; Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Thematic Analysis (TA) is one 
approach which has become more and more popular among Human-Centred 
Computing (HCC) professionals over the years. 

As for the many of the approaches mentioned above, TA can be carried out in 
slightly different ways - see e.g., Gibson and Brown (2009), and Braun and 
Clarke, (2012) for some examples. TA is a flexible and self-contained method, 
which does not bring with itself any conceptual and theoretical frame. It is a 
unique method in its own, which has been proven valuable in supporting 
qualitative researchers in finding, organising, and providing insights in patterns of 
meaning across data sets. The method provides qualitative researchers with the 
necessary guidance to carry out thorough, plausible, and sophisticated data 
analysis. It allows researchers to identify and elaborate a deep understanding of 
both collective and shared experiences and meanings. It allows researchers and 
practitioners to navigate along three different dimensions of qualitative research, 
concerning orientation towards (1) theory (inductive versus deductive); (2) data 
(experiential versus critical), and (3) ontology (essentialist versus 
constructionist) (Braun and Clarke, 2012). 

Within Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and CSCW, there seems to be a 
trend towards using Braun and Clarke’s (2006, 2012) approach to TA. A possible 
explanation for this is the fact that Braun and Clark present a straightforward and 
systematic method to carry TA out, which contributes towards trustworthiness 
and authenticity of the analysis results (de Carvalho, 2021). Other authors mostly 
do not introduce well-defined steps and guidelines for it, concentrating on what 
should be done, instead of how it can be accomplished. 

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TA provides HCC professionals with a framework to develop a deep and 
accurate understanding of the users, their contexts, and their practices, as they try 
to find solutions for the many types of wicked problems underpinning the field 
(de Carvalho et al., 2018, 2021). Using TA does not mean to limit the creativity 
inherent to design. Instead, it means finding the right food for thought to feed the 
process, so that the resulting solutions really speak to the user contexts and needs 
and, as such, can support users with their practices, in a useful manner (de 
Carvalho, 2021). 

Goals and Activities  
The goal of this masterclass is to introduce the grounds and mechanisms of Braun 
and Clarke’s TA (2012) approach and give the participants the opportunity to 
engage in a practical exercise to master it. Furthermore, the masterclass will 
dedicate special attention to demonstrate how TA can be used to (a) guarantee 
rigour to the user studies carried out as part of user-centred and practice-based 
design projects and (b) support the generation of strong conceptual and theoretical 
constructs out of it. 

During the masterclass, the six steps of the approach proposed by Braun and 
Clarke (2012) – namely (1) familiarisation with the data; (2) codes generation; 
(3) themes search; (4) review of potential themes; (5) themes naming and 
definition; and (6) report production – will be introduced, and participants will 
have the opportunity to test their understanding about each of these steps by 
completing each of them as they go on to analyse a short data artefact. 
Participants will be introduced to the mechanisms of coding (Benaquisto, 2008) 
and systematic qualitative data analysis. Furthermore, they will learn about how a 
systematic data analysis can contribute towards the credibility, transferability, 
dependability, and confirmability of research findings (Guba, 1981). 

By the end of the masterclass, participants should be able to carry out TA and 
aware of the many decisions that they will have to take as they progress in the 
analysis process, and the consequences they will have in the results. 

Target Group  
This masterclass targets any HCI and CSCW professional interested in: 
(1) learning or perfecting the mechanisms and procedures of TA; 
(2) understanding how it can be used for user-centred and practice-centred design 
of interactive systems; and (3) find out how it can contribute to the quality of the 
designed artefacts. 

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Format and Duration  
This masterclass is planned to happen in person. Given the extent of the 
masterclass activities and the time needed for them, the masterclass is planned as 
a full-day event. 

Number of Participants  
To make it viable to assist the participants properly in all the masterclass 
activities, a maximum of 15 participants will be accepted. 

Required Resources  
In terms of infrastructure, a lecture hall capable of accommodating the maximum 
number of participants according to the current COVID-19 regulations, provided 
with a projector, a proper space for projection, sound system and flipchart board 
with paper will suffice. 

Participants will be required to bring a laptop with MaxQDA 2022 Standard 
installed1. In case participants do not have a licence for the application, they are 
advised to download and install its trial version before the masterclass. The trial 
version is valid only for a few days and can be installed only once. Therefore, 
participants should assure that the version will still be active by the time the 
masterclass happens. 

Organiser’s Short Bio  
Fabiano Pinatti, PhD, is the Deputy Director of the Chair of Computer Supported 
Cooperative Work and Social Media of the University of Siegen (Germany), the 
EUSSET Community Building Chair and one of the EUSSET Competence 
Network Co-Chairs. He holds a BSc and a MSc in Computer Science from the 
Federal University of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil, and a multidisciplinary PhD 
developed within a joint project between the Interaction Design Centre of the 
Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, University of 
Limerick, Ireland, and the Department of Sociology at the same university. His 
interests span Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-Supported 
Cooperative Work (CSCW), Practice-centred Computing, Interaction Design, 
Software Accessibility, Cyber-Physical Systems, Mobile and Nomadic Work and 
Informatics in Education. The focus of his research is on technologically 

1 https://www.maxqda.com/products 

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https://www.maxqda.com/products


  

 
 

 
 

 

             
        

            
    

           
            

         
      

  
        

      
  

  
               

          
      

  
           

     
               

         
            

 
        

      
 

         
      

   
             

  
            

              
     

mediated human practices, more specifically on the understanding on how 
practices can help identify the design space of new and innovative technologies, 
and how they can shape and be shaped by their usage. He has published several 
articles on topics related to these fields of research in prestigious international 
conferences. He has been practising Thematic Analysis since 2013. The method 
has been central to many of his research studies and has been supporting him in 
generating relevant conceptual and theoretical constructs to advance the state of 
the art of HCI and CSCW research. 

References  
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Qualitative Research Methods, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, pp. 85–88. 
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006) ‘Using thematic analysis in psychology’, Qualitative Research in 

Psychology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 77–101. 
Braun, V. and Clarke V. (2012): ‘Thematic Analysis’, in H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long; A. 

T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, and K. J. Sher (eds.): APA Handbook of Research Methods in 
Psychology, Vol 2. Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and 
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de Carvalho, A. F. P. (2021): ‘Thematic Analysis for Interactive Systems Design: A Practical 
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Guba, E. G. (1981): ‘Criteria for Assessing the Trustworthiness of Naturalistic Inquiries’, 
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