InterviewInterviewThe most similar to a normal conversation. The researcher defines the general goals of the interview but will allow the participant to go into each point with much or as little detail as desired. Usually, the researcher uses open-ended questions.
This is the most controlled type of interview. Often, this type of interview uses closed-ended questions, where all participants must choose from the same set of possible responses. This can be a limitation, because close-ended questions are only effective if the choices offered are complete and presented in the participants’ own language.
Is a combination of the previous types.
When wanting to get information about attitudes, beliefs, feelings and emotional reactions. Interviews are also often used to learn about sensitive information that participants might feel uncomfortable sharing in a group.
1. Prepare a list of questions and possible follow-up questions. Start high-level and narrow down to specifics. Try to ask about past experiences;
2. Be prepared to improvise: it's better not to stick to the script so rigidly if the participant says something interesting;
3. Explain the users the purpose of the interview. In some cases, to avoid biasing the users, the interviewer might tell the purpose just in the end of the interview;
4. Explain them the format of the interview and tell them how long it will take;
5. Ask them afterwards if they have any questions, suggestions or any other remark about the interview.
- Useful to obtain detailed information about personal feelings, past specific experiences, perceptions and opinions;
- Ambiguities can be clarified, since incomplete/unclear answers can be followed up.
- All information is self-reported (which can lead to inconveniences such as bias, variance and lack of memory) so, it’s useful to combine it with other methods;
- Can be very time consuming (set up, transcripts, analysis, report) and not very representative (if users aren’t well selected).