Data analysis software like Qualrus allows you to flexibly organize evolving observations by defining codes and links. The point is to classify and arrange your qualitative data in a way that allows you to thoroughly and accurately analyze, describe and communicate the information you’ve collected.

Primarily, structure is imposed on your data through the coding process. Qualrus’s code editor, along with its powerful Boolean searches and built-in QTools provide quick access to filtered and sorted information.

But there’s another way Qualrus assists with your data analysis that most people ignore: visualization.

Graphical views introduce a welcome change of pace from text-only reports and provide fresh perspective on your developing theory. Analyzing visual representations of data can help advance your thinking on a particular concept or the project as a whole.

Many of us already think visually when trying to define the relationships between various concepts. Like a football coach drawing up a new play, graphical views get the idea in your head down on paper, where you (and your team) can assess, critique and tweak it.

The Views Editor in Qualrus provides a dead simple method of generating visual network views based on your coding scheme. You can open the Views Editor by going to Editors » Views, or by double-clicking “Views” on the Project Tree. Hit “New” to create and save a new graphical view.

As a project develops, the number of codes and links may increase to a level that is difficult to visualize, so Qualrus provides two types of network views: the Star View and the Network View.

The Star View is designed to focus on a single code at a time and display all of the direct links between that "in focus" code and any other codes. The Network View is similar to the Star View, except there is no central code, all codes are equal. Unlike the Star View, in the Network View the codes can be any number of links chained together.

In Star View, just choose a code from the drop down list to display direct links between that code and any other code in the knowledge base.

With the Network View, you can choose any number of codes to add to the View. Once the codes appear in your View, click a code then “Extend” to bring up a list of all the links attached to this code.

Views are automatically saved, but you may want to rename them using the “Rename” button. Also note that you can save your View as an image file by going to File » Save To » File.

That’s really all there is to it!  You can find more detailed instructions on pages 131-135 in the Qualrus Manual.

On your next project, don’t forget to regularly generate some Qualrus Views for a fresh perspective on your evolving theory.