Interviews in HCI

Question 1

Conducting an Interview Steps

Answer 1

• Overview
• Notification and consent
• Simple questions to start
• Main interview
• Thank the participant

Question 2

Overview/Initial steps

Answer 2

• Explain what the research is about what the purpose of the interview is
• That this is not an evaluation of the participant, you are here to learn from them

Question 3

Notification and Consent

Answer 3

• State data you will be collecting (audio, video, notes). Show them recording equipment
• Explain how data will be used and if it might appear publicly
• Obtain clear consent from the participant written or verbal

Question 4

Starting Questions

Answer 4

• Start with simple questions to put the participant at ease and gets them used to the interview format
• “What is your name?”, “How long have you worked here”, “When did you first start using the X system?”

Question 5

Main Interview

Answer 5

• Most of the time will be spent here
• We will discuss further on following slides

Question 6

Thank the participant

Answer 6

Typically end with “do you have any questions or comments?”

Question 7

Interview Structures

Answer 7

• Unstructured
• Structured
• Semi-structured

Question 8

Structured

Answer 8

Tightly scripted, similar to a questionnaire.
- Comparable data between interviews
- Very possible to replicate

When to use it
- When you know your topic very well and can predict common opinions
- When you want structured data
- Many people will be interviewed, possibly by several interviewers

Pros
- Strong script that is well-defined. Very clear what you will ask the
participant
- Easy to replicate between participants and interviewees
- Resulting data is very structured and easy to analyze

Cons
- Inflexible. No way to follow up with a participant
- Difficult to identify if you have the correct questions/answers
- Can omit important information if unexpected

Question 9

Unstructured Interviews

Answer 9

Unscripted. Initial planned question and then follow-on questions
- Rich data
- No possible to replicate

When to use it
- Unstructured interviews are best when you have little to no
understanding of the topic being discussed.
- Useful when initially talking with a client about a project

Pros
- High flexibility, you follow up on anything you feel is relevant
- The participant gets to do the most talking

Cons
- No planning means odds of missing important things are high
- Challenging to identify what exactly to follow up on in real time
- Resulting data is unstructured and qualitative. More challenging to analyze

Question 10

Semi-structured

Answer 10

Script of topics/questions to be covered, but format is flexible
- Somewhat comparable between interviews
- Possible to replicate, but not exactly

When to use it
- When you know the topic well enough to predict key areas but not
well enough to know what people are likely to say

Pros
- Loose script that covers key topics
- Approximate replications possible
- Resulting data is structured by topic

Cons
- More topic-constrained than unstructured, but still may miss key
ideas because not in the script
- Follow-up possible, but more time limited

Question 11

Usability Studies

Answer 11

Usage testing:
Specific tasks:
- Observed
- recorded
- measured
- Think-aloud