Statistics for the Terrified: User survey
In October 2007, we contacted a random sample of purchasers of Statistics for the Terrified
(single-user edition) and invited them to complete a short user survey.
We received 58 responses.
We are particularly pleased that 96% of those who responded would recommend it to a friend.
Did you purchase Statistics for the Terrified to help you in:
| Your professional work |
51% |
| Your studies |
40% |
| Your personal interests |
9% |
chart
This was a very exciting result. Although it was designed for educational use, and
the multi-user edition installed on many
teaching organisation networks, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of people
purchasing the single-user edition for use in their
working environment.
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How much has it helped you?
| Brilliant |
16% |
| Very useful |
77% |
| Not very useful |
7% |
| Useless |
0% |
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It is wise not to get too carried away by these results: clearly those who are most grateful to us for
our help are the same people who are most likely to help us by completing the survey, while on the other hand
those who found it useless are least likely to want to help us and so their experiences will be missing.
Nonetheless, this is a very good result.
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Which approach have you found the MOST/LEAST useful?
The responses to these questions provided no great surprises, showing mostly that people have different
learning styles: what is useful to one is not useful to another. For example, for 18% of respondents the
simulated classroom explanations were the most useful: and for another 18% they were the least useful.
We found confirmation here that it is best to provide a wide variety of approaches throughout.
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Has the tutorial ever crashed, displayed incorrectly, or otherwise "gone wrong"?
Happily there were no nasty surprises here. A quarter of the problems were caused by incorrect Windows
settings, which prevented some of the interactive graphs displaying properly.
Other users experienced difficulties importing data into the Analysis Module. One had a crash while
using it, but it is impossible to know whether this was caused by the tutorial or something else; we
feel that if this was a result of using Statistics for the Terrified, there would have been more incidents,
and we would certainly have had many complaints by now! Three had other problems which they had corresponded
with us about; and one wanted to be able to maximise the window, which is unfortunately
not possible - but the next version (6.0) will have a larger window size.
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Have you used the 'Analyse your own data' section, and if so, how useful was it?
| No |
60% |
| Yes: brilliant |
9% |
| Yes: very useful |
22% |
| Yes: not very useful |
16% |
| Yes: useless |
0% |
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Overall only 31% of users had a positive experience of the Analysis Module. It is also
noteworthy that 60% did not use it at all, presumably because there are so many analysis
(rather than teaching) packages already available. We will therefore be seriously evaluating
whether it should be included in the tutorial as standard.
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Would you like more challenges?
No surprises here: version 6.0 will have a lot more guided challenges in every section.
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Overall, which was the BEST bit?
Not all respondents left a comment in answer to this question.
Click
to see all the replies as submitted.
- Unsure; but I like the step - by- step approach
- The Basics
- Simple explanations
- all
- Can't remember
- cant remember
- Liked the format
- Can't remember
- aren't sure
- the simplified explanations
- liked them all
- very complete information
- I don't really remember- it has been some time since I used it.
- simulated explanations
- i like the product and the education component
- The log of progress and the clarrity of information
- Can't remember
- not sure
- The overall chart that explains the types of test to use
- not sure
- easy explanations to aid in training
- Can't remember
- Whole package fits well together
- I found it all useful
- not sure
- the visual reasoning
- Evrything is excellent
- Bookmarking to see what I'd covered in preious sections
- Not sure what you mean. Do you mean the best section or part?
- not sure
- I quite like it as a whole
- explanations in terms of practical applications
- can't remember, lost the program when the company changed my computer
- ...simply the step-by-step RATIONALE for the basis of (in my case mainly Baynsian stats)
- can't remember
- Simulations that relate statistical concepts to changes in data set
- can't remember
- not sure
- can't remember
- not sure
- The step by step development of concepts
- the practical approach, the lack of high maths
- Can't remember
- I'm sorry, I can't remember and I haven't time at the moment to return. I will be coming back to it again in the near future, though
- It was a very helpful complement to text. There was a textbook, name I'll share: Making Sense of Statistics, A Conceptual Overview by Fred Pyrczak, which approximates your program. Also, Statistical evidence in medical trial, by Stephen D. Simon, which adopts a similar, conceptual approach.
- I really found the whole program very usefull overall
- not sure
- The step by step learning although some steps were a little higher than others.
- Can't remember
- The Statistical test chart pulling everything together.
- This is my own copy at home but I use it with students who have very little knowledge of stats. Its really usefula as an introduction.
- Animated diagrams/charts which help explain the principles much more easily
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Overall, which was the WORST bit?
Not all respondents left a comment in answer to this question.
Click
to see all the replies as submitted.
- Unsure
- Not Sure
- Still needed lots more basic then more knowledge required.
I didn't feel that it gave what i needed for degree &
masters levels - but that could be my "terrified" side!!
- none
- Can't remember
- cant remember
- Could do with progressing to more detail
- Can't remember
- aren't sure
- the print screen function, it's awful
- liked them all
- having to read endless screens
- The idea of putting a game into the program seemed stupid
to me.
- there was no worst bit
- Not Sure
- Can't remember
- Not Sure
- Not Sure
- n
- nothing obviuous
- didn't like the classroom bit
- No issues
- I found it all useful
- Not Sure
- the gap between the visual part and the maths
- not sure
- Not sure what you mean. Do you mean the best section or part?
- cannot remember
- the fixed-size window - full screen would be better
- Can't remember
- slowness of navigating sometimes........
- not sure
- Can't remember
- Classroom chat (the jokes pall, but you may want to repeat
the material)
- Can't remember
- Not being able to zip through some bits quickly to get
where I wanted to go.
- not sure
- Can't really think of anything
- that display failure was a nuisance; i had to guess
the end of the lines
- Can't remember
- I'm sorry, I can't remember and I haven't time at the
moment to return. I will be coming back to it again in
the near future, though
- There were some, but I don't recall them as I write
- Nothing - I loved it
- not sure
- Can't remember
- Can't remember
- Coming to the end.
- Some of the explanations seem to go on forever and
the "conversations" get a bit tedious
- data nalaysis bit which I couldn't get to work
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What single thing would you like to see improved?
Not all respondents left a comment in answer to this question.
Click
to see all the replies as submitted.
- More Test/Knowledge challenges
- me
- A "Level 2" for more advances stats.
- if you want to go back to a certain page, its often
difficult. Would be useful to have something like
acrobat reader bottom page bar
- More detail
- the more examples of the concepts, the better
- printing of ebook
- the ability to produce quality prints
- More explanations differentiating the various tests.
- needs to have voice explanations: if I could learn
by just reading, I could have used my textbook
- Nothing other than having access to it again.
- more depth
- importing data
- That a back button be included so that the previous page
can be reviewed. If you want to go back a page in some
sections you had to begin the section again. Overall
navigation within the progarm could be improved
- Not sure, seeing it was over a year since I last used it.
- more repetition of concepts - go over it again in another
format
- more examples for types of data that can be used /or a
"contact" section that can clear doubts on choosing the
right test/online consultation
- More explanatios on the various statistical tests eg
Mann Whitney test etc
- full screen on computor
- its a bit repetative and slow
- Nothing at this time
- none
- More infomration on sample size estimation
- see above
- add some more multi variate data analysis
- I liked all of it. I would have liked it to be longer.
- not sure
- the ability to keep at least two different windows
open at a time - say
- more examples for the different types of statistics to
show what to choose and why
- to be able to go quickly to a particular concept and
see multiple examples
- not sure
- Statistics for individual subjects, e.g. sport science
- Perhaps graphics?
- A bit more about some of the underlying statistica theory.
- expand to cover 6 sigma tools
- Expandable window. I'm using a 1280x1024 screen.
- Analyze your own data linked to content of rest of program.
- See above. Overall I liked it and have found it very accessible.
This is refreshing for statistics!
- No
- nothing
- compatibility with different language settings
- n/a
- The manner of bringing data into the Analyse your own
data. Maybe a built in spreadsheet.
- Take out the "conversation" bits
- Data analysis
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Would you recommend Statistics for the Terrified to a friend?
Thank you!
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