Comprehending interviews

Major Topics

Question format
Interviewing techniques
Recording the interview

5-2
Interviewing
 Interviewing is an important method for
collecting data on information system
requirements
 Interviews reveal information about
Interviewee opinions
Interviewee feelings
About the current state of the system
Organizational and personal goals
Informal procedures

5-3
Planning the Interview
 Five steps in planning the interview are
Reading background material
Establishing interview objectives
Deciding whom to interview
Preparing the interviewee
Deciding on question types and structure

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Question Types
 There are two basic types of interview
questions:
 Open-ended
 Closed

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Open-Ended Questions
 Open-ended interview questions allow
interviewees to respond how they wish,
and to what length they wish
 Open-ended questions are appropriate
when the analyst is interested in breadth
and depth of reply

5-6
Advantages of Open-Ended
Questions
 Eight benefits of open-ended questions
 Putting the interviewee at ease
 Allowing the interviewer to pick up on the
interviewee's vocabulary
Reflect education, values, attitudes, and beliefs
 Providing richness of detail
 Revealing avenues of further questioning that
may have gone untapped
 (continued)

5-7
Advantages of Open-Ended
Questions
 Benefits of open-ended questions
(continued)
 More interesting for the interviewee
 Allows more spontaneity
 Makes phrasing easier for the interviewer
 Useful if the interviewer is unprepared

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Disadvantages of Open-Ended
Questions
 The five drawbacks include
 May result in too much irrelevant detail
 Possibly losing control of the interview
 May take too much time for the amount of
useful information gained
 Potentially seeming that the interviewer is
unprepared
 Possibly giving the impression that the
interviewer is on a "fishing expedition”

5-9
Closed Interview Questions
 Closed interview questions limit the
number of possible responses
 Closed interview questions are
appropriate for generating precise,
reliable data which is easy to analyze
 The methodology is efficient, and it
requires little skill for interviewers to
administer
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Benefits of Closed Interview
Questions
 Six benefits are
 Saving interview time
 Easily comparing interviews
 Getting to the point
 Keeping control of the interview
 Covering a large area quickly
 Getting to relevant data

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Disadvantages of Closed
Interview Questions
 Four drawbacks of closed interview
questions include
 Boring for the interviewee
 Failure to obtain rich detail
 Missing main ideas
 Failing to build rapport between
interviewer and interviewee

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Bipolar Questions and Probes
 Bipolar questions are those that may be
answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘agree’
or ‘disagree’
 Bipolar questions should be used
sparingly

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Probing Questions
 Probing questions elicit more detail
about previous questions
 The purpose of probing questions is
 To get more meaning
 To clarify
 To draw out and expand on the
interviewee's point

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Question Pitfalls
 Avoid leading questions, those that imply
an answer
 Leading questions tend to guide
interviewees into responses apparently
desired by the interviewer
 These questions should be avoided to
reduce bias and improve reliability and
validity
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Question Pitfalls
 Avoid double-barreled questions, asking
two questions at once
 These questions should be avoided
because interviewees may answer only
one question, leading to difficulties in
interpretation

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Question Sequencing
 There are three basic ways of structuring
interviews:
 Pyramid, starting with closed questions and
working toward open-ended questions
 Funnel, starting with open-ended questions
and working toward closed questions
 Diamond, starting with closed, moving toward
open-ended, and ending with closed
questions

5-17
Pyramid Structure
 Begins with very detailed, often closed
questions
 Expands by allowing open-ended
questions and more generalized
responses
 Is useful if interviewees need to be
warmed up to the topic or seem
reluctant to address the topic
5-18
Funnel Structure
 Begins with generalized, open-ended
questions
 Concludes by narrowing the possible
responses using closed questions
 Provides an easy, nonthreatening way to
begin an interview
 Is useful when the interviewee feels
emotionally about the topic
5-19
Diamond Structure
 A diamond-shaped structure begins in a
very specific way
 Then more general issues are examined
 Concludes with specific questions
 Is useful in keeping the interviewee's
interest and attention through a variety
of questions

5-20
Structured and Unstructured
Interviews
 A completely structured interview is
planned and the plan is strictly followed
 Closed questions are the basis of
structured interviews
 An unstructured interview is
conversational

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Ten Tradeoffs: Structured and
Unstructured Interviews
 Evaluation  Flexibility
 Amount of time  Interviewee insight
required provided
 Training required  Interviewer control
 Spontaneity allowed  Precision
 Reliability  Breadth and depth

5-22
Recording the Interview
 Interviews can be recorded with tape
recorders or notes
 Audio recording should be done with
permission and understanding

5-23
Advantages of Audio
Recording the Interview
 The four advantages are
 Providing a completely accurate record of
what each person said
 Freeing the interviewer to listen and respond
more rapidly
 Allowing better eye contact and better rapport
 Allowing replay of the interview for other team
members

5-24
Disadvantages of Audio
Recording the Interview
 The four disadvantages are
 Possibly making the interviewee nervous
and less apt to respond freely
 Possibly making the interviewer less apt to
listen since it is all being recorded
 Difficulty in locating important passages on
a long tape
 Increasing costs of data gathering

5-25
Advantages of Note Taking
During Interviews
 Keeping the interviewer alert
 Aiding recall of important questions
 Helping recall of important interview trends
 Showing interviewer interest in the
interview
 Demonstrating the interviewer's
preparedness

5-26
Disadvantages of Note Taking
During Interviews
 Losing vital eye contact
 Losing the train of conversation
 Making the interviewee hesitant to
speak when notes are being made
 Causing excessive attention to facts and
too little attention to feelings and
opinions

5-27
Before the Interview
 Contact the interviewee and confirm the
interview
 Dress appropriately
 Arrive a little early
 Affirm that you are present and ready
to begin the interview

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Beginning the Interview
 Shake hands
 Remind them of your name and why
you are there
 Take out note pad, tape recorder
 Make sure tape recorder is working
correctly

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Opening Questions
 Start with pleasant conversation, open-
ended questions
 Listen closely to early responses
 Look for metaphors

5-30
During the Interview
 The interview should not exceed 45
minutes to one hour
 Make sure that you are understanding
what the interviewee is telling you
 Ask for definitions if needed
 Use probing questions

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Closing the Interview
 Always ask “Is there anything else that you
would like to add?”
 Summarize and provide feedback on your
impressions
 Ask whom you should talk with next
 Set up any future appointments
 Thank them for their time and shake hands

5-32
Interview Report
 Write as soon as possible after the
interview
 Provide an initial summary, then more
detail
 Review the report with the respondent

5-33