Conducting Effective Interviews

Planning and Running a Successful Data Gathering Program

• Decide on the goals of the data gathering program and how to analyze the data once collected
• Identify participants and decide how many are needed
• Establish a clear and professional relationship with participants
• Use triangulation to collect data from multiple perspectives and types
• Conduct a pilot study to trial the main study

Interviews

• Unstructured interviews: not scripted, rich but not replicable
• Structured interviews: tightly scripted, replicable but may lack richness
• Semi-structured interviews: guided by a script, balance between richness and replicability
• Focus groups: a group interview

Interview Questions

• Open questions: no predetermined format
• Closed questions: predetermined answer format, e.g., 'yes' or 'no'
• Avoid long questions, compound sentences, jargon, and leading questions
• Avoid unconscious biases, e.g., gender stereotypes

Running the Interview

• Introduce yourself, explain the goals, reassure about ethics, and ask to record
• Start with easy questions, then move to the main body, and end with a cool-off period
• Use digital conferencing systems like Skype, Zoom, email, and smartphones for remote interviews
• Advantages of remote interviews: participants are more relaxed, no need to travel, and easier to remain anonymous

Enriching the Interview Process

• Use props like prototypes and scenarios to prompt the interviewee
• Questionnaires: can be closed or open, closed questions are easier to analyze

Questionnaire Design

• The order of questions can impact the response
• Use different versions for different populations
• Provide clear instructions and balance white space with compactness
• Decide on question and response format: checkboxes, rating scales, open-ended responses
• Avoid very long questions and questionnaires

Encouraging a Good Response

• Make the purpose of the study clear
• Promise anonymity
• Ensure the questionnaire is well-designed
• Offer a short version for those with limited time
• Follow up with emails, phone calls, or letters
• Provide an incentive
• Aim for a 40% response rate

Online Questionnaires

• Advantages: easy to distribute, quick responses, no copying and postage costs, data can be collected in a database
• Problems: sampling is problematic if population size is unknown, preventing individuals from responding multiple times, and individuals changing questions

Deploying Online Questionnaires

• Plan the timeline, design offline, and program/complete online template
• Test the survey to ensure it behaves as expected
• Test it with a group that will not be part of the survey to ensure clear questions
• Recruit participants

Observation

• Direct observation in the field: structuring frameworks, degree of participation, and ethnography
• Direct observation in controlled environments: human-computer interaction

Data Recording

• Notes, audio, video, and photographs can be used individually or in combination
• Different challenges and advantages with each type of data recording