Table 2 Steps in data analysis Sjöström and Dahlgren [48]

Step 1 Familiarization

The researcher printed and read all transcripts repeatedly while simultaneously listening to the audio recordings, in order to familiarize herself with the data. Notes and sections of each interview were manually highlighted. The researcher immersed herself in the data to ensure in-depth understanding of the text and to get accuracy of context.

Step 2 Condensation

Relevant recurring feelings, words, and experiences participants used were identified, grouped together, and recorded as patterns. This was done in order to uncover repeated patterns or similarities in the data.

Step 3 Comparison

Researcher studied and discussed patterns with supervisors in order to identify similarities and differences in the patterns.

Step 4 Grouping

Patterns were sorted into initial Categories of Description according to the similarities of their essence and how the categories described the participant’s experience of the phenomenon - symbolic access.

Step 5 Articulating

Categories were read and discussed between researcher and supervisors to identify the essence of each category. The main aim of this step is to set up boundaries among the categories.

Step 6 Labelling

After confirming the categories, the next step was to distinguish features between them, these become the Dimensions of Variation, and label them accordingly.

Step 7 Contrasting

Discussion and reviewing of categories of descriptions were held between the researcher and supervisor. Categories were contrasted and thoroughly defined in order to be clearly distinguished and arrive at the four categories in this study.

The process of articulation, labelling and contrasting (step 5–7) was iterative, which is true to the nature of phenomenographic data analysis. The end goal was to define categories which best represented the qualitative variations of the phenomenon from the participants’ responses.