In-Depth Interviews: Preparing the Research Location
The research team should arrive at the interview location at least an hour before the first interview will take place. This gives you time to prepare the setting and agree on any mechanics of the interviews that are still open. If interviews will take place at different locations throughout the day, then my team usually meets for breakfast to run through the day’s activities and to make sure all materials are ready for use.
If interviews will take place in a central location, then a list of the current day’s interview participants should be printed out and posted in the area where they will take place. This list should also be emailed to team members and stakeholders.
Check with security prior to the day of the sessions to figure out what kind of documentation will be required to bring participants into the research area. Checking ahead with security is relevant in all kinds of research settings, from office buildings to retail locations, to special facilities like airports. This is often overlooked, and can lead to big headaches. At a minimum, security should be given a list of each day’s participants. They usually have some kind of guest badges or passes that can be issued at the check-in desk.
The research protocol you wrote identified the materials that will be required for your customer interviews. The materials identified in the research protocol should be refreshed at the beginning of each day. Copy machines for some reason seem to break more often the day that interviews take place, so we usually make lots of copies prior to the day we will need them. We are especially careful to have extra copies of any paper forms that participants will write on directly, because if we are lacking those, then we will be lacking data we need. Recording devices, media for data and copies, markers, pads, etc., should all be checked at the beginning and end of each research day to avoid unpleasant surprises.
As a point of reference, the following are materials that Usography typically requires for customer interviews:
- Copies of research protocol
- Release form (permission to use likeness and responses)
- Payment received form
- Cards with content types, features, concepts
- Photos for brand impression analysis, photo elicitation
- Grid with topic relevance on one axis, perceived value on the other
- Digital camera, recorder, or video camera
- Map of physical location where activities or interactions take place
- Markers
- Blank wireframes for screen sketches
Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)
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