Research Methods Guide: Interview Research

Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research

• Interviews are designed to collect a richer source of information from a small number of people about:
  • Attributes
  • Behavior
  • Preferences
  • Feelings
  • Attitudes
  • Opinions
  • Knowledge
• Interviews are most effective for qualitative research:
  • They help you explain, better understand, and explore research subjects' opinions, behavior, experiences, phenomenon, etc.
  • Interview questions are usually open-ended questions so that in-depth information will be collected.

There are several types of interviews, including:

• Phone
• Face-to-Face
• Online (e.g. Skype, Googlehangout, etc)

What are the important steps involved in interviews?

1. Design interview questions
   • Think about who you will interview
   • Think about what kind of information you want to obtain from interviews
   • Think about why you want to pursue in-depth information around your research topic
2. Develop an interview guide
   • Introduce yourself and explain the aim of the interview
   • Devise your questions so interviewees can help answer your research question
   • Have a sequence to your questions / topics by grouping them in themes
   • Make sure you can easily move back and forth between questions / topics
   • Make sure your questions are clear and easy to understand
   • Do not ask leading questions
3. Plan and manage logistics
   • Do you want to bring a second interviewer with you?
   • Do you want to bring a notetaker?
   • Do you want to record interviews? If so, do you have time to transcribe interview recordings?
   • Where will you interview people? Where is the setting with the least distraction?
   • How long will each interview take?
   • Do you need to address terms of confidentiality?

Do I have to choose either a survey or interviewing method?

No.  In fact, many researchers use a mixed method - interviews can be useful as follow-up to certain respondents to surveys, e.g., to further investigate their responses.

Is training an interviewer important?

Yes, since the interviewer can control the quality of the result, training the interviewer becomes crucial.  If more than one interviewers are involved in your study, it is important to have every interviewer understand the interviewing procedure and rehearse the interviewing process before beginning the formal study.