## 3 Research Method  
Given that this study is exploratory and the nascent nature of cloud/mobile BIM use in construction where very little peer-review research exists, a mixed research method was adopted. A major advantage of blending research methods is that \"it enables the researcher to simultaneously answer confirmatory and exploratory questions, and therefore verify and generate theory in the same study\" ([38], p. 15). The two methods that were blended are quantitative and qualitative methods.  
Firstly, the quantitative approach was adopted. Given that this study seeks to understand the different types of cloud/mobile BIM technologies being used in practice, a quantitative approach is more appropriate in capturing the numbers. A questionnaire was designed using Survey Monkey, an online survey tool, administered through two main online platforms (See Appendix A in the Supplementary Material). Firstly, the questionnaire was administered through a widely-used and acknowledged online professional platform, LinkedIn, and several professional forums on Facebook. By browsing through online professional profiles on LinkedIn, about 700 professionals with a background in BIM were identified; of which a message of invitation was delivered to the potential informants before sending the questionnaire sequentially. The recruitment of informants from social media, e.g., Facebook and LinkedIn, is now becoming too common [39]. The questionnaire consistedof close-ended opinion questions, which required the respondent to rate checklists, grid checklists, rank and specify by addition if not found in the provided choices. That initiated specific responses such as most frequent, more frequent, frequent, less frequent or never. Out of the 700, 162 provided complete feedback. Secondly, it was handed to BIM professionals during the Oxford BIM regions events held at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, U.K., in 2016. Through two successive BIM events, the questionnaire was handed to 100 participants, and 36 provided complete responses to the questions on the questionnaire. In total, the number of respondents was 198 (i.e., 162 + 36), representing a 24.75% ((198/800) \(\times\) 100)) response rate. Although, this rate appears low, it is however significant compared to most studies in the field. For instance, [PERSON] (2000) and [PERSON] et al. (2003) argued that the normal response rate in the construction industry for postal questionnaires is around 20%-30% [40; 41].  
Once the results were collected, the Microsoft Excel spread sheet software application was employed to manipulate the quantitative data. That data were generated from the online Survey Monkey, which consisted of nine closed questionnaires. Percentages were calculated, and pie charts and bar graphs were produced for responses.  
Secondly, a qualitative approach was adopted. Research about mobile/cloud BIM technology is scarce. Therefore, in-depth knowledge is required to understand the state and application in practice. Thus, in-depth qualitative interviews were more appropriate and adopted (See Appendix B in the Supplementary Material). From the list of respondents from the quantitative study, 15 were identified based on their expertise to participate in in-depth interviews. Email invites attached with interview questions were sent out to those BIM experts prior to the actual face-to-face or telephone interview. Five BIM experts agreed to be interviewed. Each was interviewed with two on a face-to-face basis, while the other three were over the phone. The interviews offered the opportunity to freely probe certain areas and ask specific questions in the duration of the interview. Therefore, it resulted in high quality and detailed qualitative data. The qualitative interview feedbacks obtained were analysed for any trends, themes, deviations, similarities and conclusions to be drawn. The analyses of the questionnaire and in-depth interview feedback will be discussed in the ensuing section.