Expert Interview Example01Previous
¶ Expert Interview
¶ What it is
An expert interview is a deep-dive conversation with someone very experienced in a specific technology, industry, or another relevant field of knowledge. Those are often academics, industry insiders, or entrepreneurs who have acquired profound knowledge through experimentation, study, or work in their domain. It can be done over the phone, via an online survey, or face-to-face. It aims at gaining information about or exploring a particular field of actions, trends, insights, etc.
¶ Why it is useful
Expert interviews bring insights that can close certain knowledge gaps in any specific area, and it helps you understand unknown/known topics and quickly identify research priorities and opportunities.
¶ When to use it
- When the study area is challenging to acquire information online
- When there is too much information, and a clear direction is needed
- When we have some new ideas and want to get quick feedback
- When it’s a new market we want to enter, no in-house expertise
¶ How is it done
1. Plan and prepare the expert interview.
- Define the purpose of what this interview is all about
- Prepare a list of relevant topics/questions (see example below) that help you get necessary information addressing your purpose
- Organise your materials, if you also want to get feedback on your new product ideas
- Recruit experts from your company, network or through an agency
2. Share the major topics with the expert so they can be more prepared to make the interview as efficient as possible.
3. Conduct the interview and build rapport/trust as you set the tone for the conversation and best to equip the conversation to be insightful and open (ask for permission to record the session for further analysis)
4. Consolidate findings and process received information, and write down insights and learnings.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Guide the conversation by asking broader questions, and then focus on the details as you progress.
- Dig deeper by asking ‘why questions’ to opinions that the interviewee provides.
- Seek to understand the advisor’s perspective and what informs their thinking to contextualise their ideas better.
- Ask more open-ended or intriguing questions that can further encourage the discovery of any unexpected insights.
- Get more data-driven replies by changing your questioning style.
Don't
- Avoid bias in your questioning. Instead, hide your hypothesis from the expert and ask broader questions. For example, instead of asking: "Are customer purchases more driven by price or is it still quality?" it's best to be neutral and ask, "Can you elaborate on the key customer purchasing criteria and indicate which of them is more important?"
¶ Tools needed
¶ Example
Example 01 is an expert interview organised by topics
Example 02 is an expert interview organised by topics and detailed questions
