Previous
¶ In-depth Interview
¶ What it is
In-depth interviews involve direct engagement with individual participants. It is a qualitative data collection method where the interviewer follows a semi-structured guide but may adapt its structure and ask the participants different questions based on their responses.
¶ Why it is useful
In-depth interviews prove to be highly helpful in situations where individual participants’ emotions, sentiments, opinions, values, etc., are essential to the study or research being conducted. The interview duration for individual participants may differ, and the questions may vary depending on responses. Therefore, this method is pretty flexible in terms of its design.
¶ When to use it
Use In-depth interviews when your research question needs deep probing and requires one-to-one interaction with participants. Do not use in-depth interviews when you seek quantitative data or what you want is evidence of responses. This method requires a deep understanding of the cultural and psychological context of the customer, and answers need interpretation.
¶ How is it done
- Invite the participants selected with the Interview Screener to join you for a conversation.
- Ask the questions following your Interview Script. As this is a Semi-Structured Interview, formulate general questions asking interviewees about their opinion or experience with specific situations or steps in the service journey. In addition, allow for some personal experience sharing.
- Ask each interviewee the questions in a similar order, but diverge or allow for alternative paths if you think the interviewee is about to share valuable personal insights.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Make sure you establish a cozy and friendly atmosphere for your conversation. This will allow participants to feel comfortable while being authentic and open about the discussed issues.
- Neutrally ask questions without judging tones.
- Try to avoid binary (e.g., Yes / No) questions, and always try to get participants talking and sharing more about their experiences, context, and views.
- Ask follow-up questions such as “What,” “How,” and “Why," etc., to get closer to the real motivations and thoughts of the customer. You can probe participants to as much level of depth as desired.
- Stick to the general outline of the interview, but gently encourage the customer to share related stories or experiences.
- Invite an observant co-researcher to accompany you during the interview. The second researcher can take additional notes and interpret participants’ moods from their body language and tone of voice.
¶ Tools needed
- Interview Screener to select participants
- Interview Script to guide you through the session
- A quiet (virtual) room to talk without interruptions
- Notepads and pens for you and the notetaker (virtual)
- A recording device, camera
¶ Useful Tips
¶ Recording Data in Interviews
You should collect information about the interview in written, oral, or video form to revisit it later. Recording data from the interview will provide you with valuable details when you move into the next phase. Returning to your notes and records instead of recalling everything from memory will give you more information and generate more insights. You can use any of the following methods (using multiple methods is highly encouraged).
Nevertheless, try to do your post-interview debriefs straight after the interview when memory and impressions are still “fresh” and compare notes, discuss impressions and align on key insights and takeaways from the interview.
- Field notes
Write down an ad-hoc script of the interview with essential quotes and statements from the interviewee. Assign a note taker - the role should be done by another person than the one who is conducting the interview.
- Behavioural notes
Write down how the interviewee behaves, what you see in their body language, what questions they ask, where they get stuck or surprised etc. You might optionally assign an observer for this task.
- Audio recording
Use a device with a voice recorder to record the interview. Make sure that only one person speaks at a time. For in-person interviews, put it close enough to the interviewee and avoid background noise (e.g., typing on the keyboard, rustling paper). Always ask for consent from the interviewee before starting the recording.
- Video recording
Use a camera with an integrated microphone to record the interview. Make sure that the field of vision is focused on the interviewee's face and hands. Always ask for the consent of the interviewee before starting the recording.
¶ Successfully Conducting Qualitative Interviews
Your behaviour as an interviewer and the interview setting can influence the interviewee’s level of comfort and the insights you can generate from the interview. In the following, we present some insights into how to behave during an interview and what to consider.
Things to consider
The atmosphere and the surrounding during an interview play an important role. Keep in mind that several factors can influence the interviewee’s level of comfort and be aware of the essential dimensions of social situations:
- Purpose: the style of the interview
- Actors: the people involved in the interview
- Behaviours: how people act, move and behave
- Feelings: the emotions felt and expressed
- Object: physical things that are used during the interview
- Space: the physical place or places
- Time: when the interview is conducted and how long it last
Getting valuable insights
Tolerate silence before the interviewee responds to give them enough time to think (count to 15 in your head before following up or rephrasing the question).
- Summarise the interviewee's answers («you mentioned that...») to validate whether you have understood the information correctly, and do not be afraid to ask for clarification.
- Listen actively and redirect gently when the conversation deviates from your Interview Script.
- Ask the interviewee for consent to video/ audio record the interview and take pictures for further reference. Clarify that no recordings will be shared or published.
- Avoid asking too many Yes/ No questions, and do not try to confirm your assumptions by asking about them directly.
- Respect the interviewee’s feelings and opinions. You are trying to get insights without judging or suggesting solutions.
- Have a note taker (and optionally an observer) to listen to the interview.
¶ Encouraging the Customer to Speak
In Semi-Structured or Open-Ended Interviews, you get personalised insights from the customer. By showing that you are listening and encouraging them to explore more deeply or by extending the answer to a question, you get a deeper understanding of underlying challenges and motivations. In the following, a couple of sample questions and commenting techniques are listed, which you are encouraged to use during your interviews.
Following up on the customer's answers
- Asking for more details: “Could you please walk me through it? What exactly did you see or do?”
- Understanding the context: “How did this start? What led to that? Could you go on with that? What happened next?”
- Identifying actors: “Was anyone else involved? Who else was part of it, and what did they do? Did you talk to anyone about it?”
- Understanding emotions: “When that was happening, what thoughts did you have? What were your feelings when …? Can you remember how you reacted emotionally?”
Suggestions for active listening
- Silent: Nod slowly, tilt head
- Echo: repeat the last statement and ask a respondent to continue
- Neutral: Encouraging, “I see,” or “uh-huh.”
- Direct: “Tell me more.”
- Phased assertion: Imply that you already know something (learn a piece of the puzzle from one person and use it in the following interview to learn more)
- Detail: Who, where, what, when, how
- Clarifying: “You said ‘x'; please describe what you meant by said”
¶ In-Person vs. Remote Interviews
When planning your interviews, consider whether you want to conduct them in person or remotely via an online conference tool. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, and the best way depends on your specific situation.
In-Person Interviews
+ Easy to establish a personal connection with the interviewee (e.g., by welcoming him in person, shaking hands, etc.)
+ Behavioural nuances and body language during the interview are easy to understand (e.g., surprised reactions, eye movement, breathing)
− Time-consuming through the set-up of the room and potential travel time
− The limited geographical reach of interviewees
Things to consider for In-Person Interviews
- Provide detailed instructions about the interview location
- Create an inviting atmosphere in the room. Ensure there is a seat for everyone and that the interviewee has enough private space.
Remote Interviews
+ Less time effort as no room preparation and travel time
+ No constraint in geographical reach (be aware of time zones, though!)
+ Can be recorded without additional equipment
− The interview could be interrupted (bad signal, background noise)
− Limited field of vision through a camera and narrow interpretation of body language
− More difficult to build rapport
Things to consider for Remote Interviews
- Provide detailed instructions on the interview platform (e.g., Zoom link) and potential actions required by the customer (e.g., Login, Download of software)
- Ensure you and the interviewee have the webcam switched during the interview to build rapport.
- Engage in initial small talk to create a personal connection.