A research interview is a discussion between a researcher and one or more other people.

The researcher is trying gather evidence that will help make decisions on a project. The researcher could be you, someone else in your organisation, or someone you have brought in to carry out research for you. Using an experienced professional user research team can help make sure your research is ethical.

An interview can give you insights about complex topics, including how people feel about things and why. These kinds of empathetic insights can improve your decisions or creations, by taking a diverse group of people’s challenges, needs, experiences and perspectives into account.

Setting up

Interviews are most often done one-to-one, but you can also do group interviews and run panels with more people. You might decide to have a separate note-taker so the interviewer can concentrate on the conversation.

You will need:

• to write a discussion guide (we’ll explain how!)
• somewhere to write notes
• an agreed method for capturing notes
• details about the research to send to participants
• a consent form or other way of getting and recording interviewee consent

45 minutes to an hour is usually enough time to get good answers before everyone gets too tired. But that may differ depending on how complicated the subject is.

Depending on what you are trying to find out, it can sometimes be useful to have visual prompts or prototypes for the interviewee to respond to.

Writing a discussion guide

A structured discussion guide will make sure the interview flows well, that you ask all the questions you want to, and that you ask the same things of different people.

• Write down what you want to learn from the interview. This could be a high-level research goal or a list of themes you want to cover
• Use this to break up your document with subheadings
• Start the script with an introduction to who you are, who you work for, and what the conversation is about
• Next, write questions under each subheading
• Use open questions that cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Instead of leading the interviewee towards a particular answer, open questions let them answer however they want to. And their answer can open the conversation up for follow-up questions
• Don’t go straight into any big, difficult questions as you may intimidate the interviewee. A good way to break the ice is by asking questions about themselves like ‘Tell me about your typical day’
• Get feedback on your discussion guide from others on your team. They might think of some important questions that you’ve missed

Participant information letter

A participant information letter (PIL) is an overview of what the project is about. It should give participants enough information to make an informed choice about whether they want to take part. It must be written in clear plain language and will usually be about 2 pages long.

Some things you should include in your Participant Information Letter include:

• What the project and interview is about
• What they will be asked to do if they take part
• Whether they will be getting paid or incentivised in some other way
• What personal information you’ll be collecting and storing (in line with your organisation’s policies)
• Whether their participation will be anonymous and confidential

Writing a consent form

Your consent form goes alongside the participant information letter. On your consent form, ask for confirmation that the interviewee has read the participant information letter and that they have had:

• a chance to ask questions
• their questions answered
• the complaints process explained to them

Check that they understand that they can:

• refuse to answer any question
• withdraw from the interview
• change or withdraw their consent
• complain about anything that happens to them

all without having to give a reason.

If applicable, also check that they understand:

• who you might share information from the interview with
• any risks there might be of taking part in this research
• that the interview will be recorded, what the recording will be used for, and who (if anyone) you might share it with outside your organisation
• that what they say might be included in research reports (using their name, organisation, role, or no attribution at all, depending on what you agree about the level of anonymity)
• you won’t share their personal details with third parties (outside your organisation)
• that you may take photos or video and use them in research reports that you might share with third parties (outside your organisation, who you are working with)

Organise a time and send details

Agree a time for the interview. Send the interviewee all the information they’ll need with plenty of notice. If they feel informed and prepared, they will be more relaxed in the interview.

Include:

• the consent form if you’re using one
• the video conferencing link or directions to a venue
• background information or sample questions