INTERVIEWING CLIENTS

 Interviews are the most commonly used elicitation technique.

 The main strengths of interviews include:-

 It provides a rich vein of communication. (Verbal and body language)

 Flexible (topics can be pursued on the fly, based on subsequent
questioning)
 It provides the scope to obtain all the required information.

Preparation

 Appropriate preparation is required if the interview is going to be a success.

 An interview plan should be prepared to include the following key areas:-

 The objectives of the interview. (I.e. What information is needed?)

 The key questions or lines of questioning that will be pursued during the
interview.(Ensure questions/topics are grouped logically)
 The method to be used for recording the findings (Notes, audio, video).
 An estimated interview duration. (Extended interviews tend to be counter-
productive as concentration levels reduce with time)

 At the end of the interview the plan can be reviewed to ensure that all the relevant
topics have be addressed.

 Ensure that all the required parties are notified about the interview and what issues
will be discussed prior to the appointment

During the Interview

 Appropriate conduct during the interview is again essential to the success of the
interview. The following issues should be considered:-

 Be polite, punctual and reasonably friendly.

 Try to understand the position of the elicitee. (They may have
concerns/worries about the planned system)
 Attempt to put the interviewee at ease by explaining what is required of
them and answering any questions they may have.
 Be aware of any underlying motives of the interviewee. (E.g.
organisational politics etc)
 During the interview, be intelligible, flexible and receptive.
 Express all questions clearly, using plain language.
  Avoid any terminology or jargon that the elicitee will not be familiar with.
 Employ active listening techniques whilst listing to the interviewee.
 If you do not fully understand an answer provided by the interviewee, do
not be afraid to ask for clarification.
 Check that your understanding is correct. ("So you are saying that...")

 When asking questions during the interview consider:-

 Do my questions seem relevant?

 Are the answers provided official?
 Are you the best person to answer this question?
 Am I asking too many questions?
 Is there anything else I should be asking you?
 Is there anything you would like to ask me?
 Is there anybody else I should see?

Potential Problems with Interviews

 Despite being the most widely used elicitation technique there are still some
potential problems with this approach:-

 Lack of availability/access to the appropriate people.

 Difficulties in recording information accurately during the interview.
 The interviewee trying to please by saying what they think is wanted.
 The interviewer asking leading questions.
 Expenses associated with tying up key staff.
 Ulterior motives and organisational politics effecting interview findings.

 For the assignment you will be required to extract information from the client
(role- played by your tutor). To this end, let us examine the typical structure/topics
of the a set interview preparation notes.

Example Interview Preparation Support Notes

When preparing to interview the client, consider the following areas as a starting
point:-

1) Motivation

 What is the client’s goal in introducing a web-site?

 What does he aim to achieve?
 Main objectives of the web-site?
2) Business Models

 Attempt to extract the current business practices/processes/models

used by the organisation.

3) Required web-site functionality

 What functionality/behaviour would the client like to see within the

website?

(Consider preparing some examples of possible features in case the client

is unsure)

4) Presentation style

 What colours/fonts/logos/graphics etc. would the client like to see?

(Consider preparing some examples of possible effective presentation

styles in case the client is unsure)

5) Site Content

 What content would the client like to see?

(Where content is textual, consider asking for the actual text he would like
to use.)

6) Navigation

 What navigation style, would the client like to employ to allow simple,
intuitive navigation around the site? (Buttons/menus/list etc?)

(Consider preparing some examples of possible navigation styles in case

the client is unsure)
7) Performance information

 What site performance features would the client like to see? (E.g. Site
availability, number of likely records stored, etc)

8) Client constraints

 Are there any constraints that the client wishes enforced? (E.g.
programming languages used, design methodologies used etc.)

9) Business Infrastructure

 Premises
 Contact details (e-mail, postal)
 Computer Hardware
 Existing Domain
 Service Provider
 Existing Systems? (Clerical/Computer Based)

10) Existing Web Site

 What parts would the client like to keep?

 What sections should be redesigned?
 What new features should be included?

11) Supplied Client Specifications

 As a brief client specification has been supplied, you should review the
content of the specification with the client and ensure that you
understand the information supplied.