Information practices meet lifelogging technologies: Towards a successful multimethod research framework

Information Practice research emphasises on contextual factors such as the situation, social roles, collaborators, or communications of information behaviour. This wider scope allows us to gain enriched, deeper, and complex understanding of how people interact with information in various contexts. However, this also poses researchers many challenges in data collection and analyses, since conventional methods such as observations, interviews, surveys might not either possible or complete. Meanwhile, a range of wearable devices have become commodity and collecting a large amount of personal lifelog data has become much easier than before. On the other hand, the researchers who are familiar with qualitative methods and computational methods do not often communicate, although they are likely to have common research agenda. This proposed panel provides a unique opportunity to invite panellists from the two research communities, and discusses how lifelogging technologies may (or may not!) contribute and transform information practice research. The panel will also involve the audience in sharing their personal or scientific experience with lifelogging technologies, or their expectations or concerns regarding the use of lifelogging technologies in their research. Outcomes from the panel discussion should yield some clear pointers that can facilitate multimethod research in Information Practices.