Interview in Research

There are many instances in our lives where we engage in an interview — for example, a job interview or an interview to join school clubs. In business, interviews are also common. Marketers mostly use them to research customer behaviour and collect original data for marketing purposes. In this explanation, you'll learn all about qualitative research interviews and how they are conducted.

Interviews in Qualitative Research

An interview is a qualitative research method used to collect primary data. It involves asking one or more people about their opinions on a company, a product, or a topic.

Being qualitative in nature means that interviews focus on personal experience rather than numerical facts. Thus, the primary purpose of interviews is to gain insight into customers' behaviours, attitudes, and opinions. Compared to other types of primary research, interviews often have a higher response rate and provide more reliable results.

Types of Interviews in Research

Companies can choose from several types of interviews to research customers: structured, unstructured and semi-structured interviews. The interview format varies, from face-to-face to online, one-on-one to focus groups.

Structured interview in research

The first type of interview in research is a structured interview.

These questions are closed-ended and appear in a set order. The respondents are expected to answer yes, no, or a short response. Sometimes, they might choose from a pre-selected list of answers.

Structured interviews can be used in both explanatory and exploratory research. Their "uniform" nature allows the researcher to spot significant trends in consumer behaviour.

A structured interview also saves time as the questions only have to be prepared once and repeated in multiple interviews. However, the rigid structure might limit spontaneity and in-depth responses.

Unstructured or non directive interview in research

The opposite of structured interviews is unstructured interviews. Unstructured interviews do not rely on prearranged questions but follow up based on interviewees' responses. Unstructured interviews are sometimes called non-directive interviews. "Non-directive" means not prepared/prearranged. The interview has no structure or scoring. It is conversational. The researcher can ask anything they want, depending on the interviewees' responses.

The questions are often open-ended to encourage people to express themselves and give honest feedback.

Like structured interviews, the main goal of an non directive interview is to collect customer data. However, it does so in a more friendly and conversational way.

Semi-structured interview in research

A mix of structured and unstructured interviews is called a semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews include a list of predetermined questions, yet not set in order. The interviewer can choose what to ask depending on the situation.

Semi-structured interviews maintain a reasonable degree of flexibility and validity. Researchers can collect more detailed responses yet not commit as much time and effort as in an unstructured interview.

Table 1. Comparison of different interview methods, StudySmarter Originals

Interview format

All three types of interviews above can be conducted in different formats: focus group, one-on-one, online, and phone.

Focus group

A Focus group is an interview format that includes a moderator and a group of participants meeting face-to-face. The method allows the researcher to observe the participant's body language and engage in interesting conversations. It is easy to prepare focus group meetings, and the results are often reliable. The only drawback is that small sample sizes might not represent the entire group.

Focus group for interview research, Unsplash

One-on-one interview

The opposite of a focus group interview is a one-on-one interview. This is where the interviewer speaks to only one person at a time. This method can remove distractions and group bias but takes more time and effort to set up interviews with multiple people.

Online interview

Both focus groups and one-on-one interviews can be conducted online through video-conferencing tools such as Zoom and Google Meetings. Online interviewing saves time, money, and effort and allows the business to engage people from different parts of the world in real-time.

Zoom Meeting for interview research, Unsplash

Phone interview

If in-person or online interviews are not viable, there is another quick way to collect customer opinions— phone interviewing. This method does not always guarantee a response, though it is relatively cheap and does not require the participants to meet face-to-face.

Importance of Interviews in Research

Interviews in qualitative research come with many benefits.

First, it is a way of obtaining original data directly from customers.

In surveys and questionnaires, people can lie if they don't remember the exact details of their behaviour or want to appear intelligent. People are more likely to answer truthfully when meeting face-to-face with a person.

Researchers can choose from several interview methods depending on the research purpose, time, and budget:

• Structured interviews provide access to a large number of people quickly and efficiently.

• Unstructured interviews provide deeper insights into consumer behaviour and give the researcher more flexibility in directing the discussion.

Secondly, interviews have a higher response rate than emails and questionnaires.

Inboxes are black holes for emails. Most people receive a company's survey via email and never open it. When given a request for an interview, they are more likely to accept and commit their time.

Interviews also allow researchers to watch the customers' body language and form a deeper connection with them. This increases their chance of getting an honest answer.

Interview Methodology in Research

The objectives of the interviews are as follows:

• Collect primary data

• Exchange ideas

• Spot patterns and trends

• Discover opportunities for improvement

To achieve these objectives, the researcher needs to develop an effective interview methodology consisting of the following steps.

Interview in Research: Define research objectives

The first step is to define the research objectives.

Why is the research conducted? What kind of data is expected from it?

During this step, the researcher has to determine the number of interviews, the estimated number of quality responses, the research budget and the deadline.

Interview in Research: Select interview format

After determining the research objectives, the researcher needs to select an interview format - directive or non-directive, one-on-one or focus groups, online or offline.

The interview format will determine the questions and how the interview is carried out.

For example, structured interviews may include a list of closed-ended questions, whereas unstructured interviews may include several critical open-ended questions and leave room for spontaneity.

A traditional interview will require the moderator to set up a physical meeting in a specific location. In contrast, researchers can conduct an online interview without participants leaving their homes.

Interview in Research: Select the right interviewees

The next step before the interview is to narrow down the number of interviewee candidates. The smaller the group, the higher quality it might yield.

Companies can select interviewees based on demographics - age, location, job title, status, income levels - or psychological characteristics - lifestyles, personality, core values, interests, and attitudes.

Interview in Research: Contact and interview

Finally, the interviewer will contact the customers to set up an interview via phone or email. Before the interview, they must prepare a list of questions and responses for the interviewees.

Here are some examples of questions that researchers might include in an interview: