I taught an introductory seminar on QSR's qualitative software package Nvivo7 last week and it was a very good experience. I have been quite interested in the differences between atlas.ti and Nvivo, and wondering which package I would pursue for this summer's fieldwork. After trying them both and weighing the pros and cons I feel strongly drawn to Nvivo7. The interface is really elegant and I was impressed with its ease of use. It's a Windows only application however, PowerPC Macs being pretty empty in the qualitative scene...but with Intel-based Macs and Parallels running Windows XP in a window, you can run Nvivo without a hitch on a Macbook, to the best of my knowledge.
One of the nicest things about Nvivo is the concept of nodes. After you import your documents, you scroll through them and code by highlighting and using the right mouse button extensively. I like coding 'invivo", creating nodes on the fly, and datamining the words and phrases looking for trends.
The search tools are really extensive, with the possibility of finding words "near" other words or nodes, allowing you to track how often words and concepts are used in certain documents...the possibilities are very exciting without a doubt!
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