|
In-depth interview
In-depth interview
Methodology
This method implies an interview with one respondent (rarer with two ones). Obtained information from interview can be tape-recorded, but only with respondent agreement. The idea of in-depth interview lies in making respondents speak on a particular topic, which he/she would not wish to talk about in other people presence. During in-depth interview a respondent may admit irrationality of buying approach, which could not be revealed during a formal interview.
In-depth interview is applied when:
· Subject of the research touches upon personal opinion or can raise confusion in a group discussion (e.g. usage of deodorant, drugs, contraceptives, cosmetic problems);
· Subject of a discussion concerns features of making personal decision (e.g. purchase of any equipment);
· Researched group of people is a unique category of population or it is difficult to gather respondents together at certain time (e.g. executives of large pharmaceutical companies).
Drawbacks of in-depth interview:
Duration (1.5-5 hours), but drawbacks will be balanced by advantages of the method.
Methodology of conduction
In-depth interview is a face-to-face discussion which is conducted according to previously set plan, but in an informal way. In-depth interview has a flexible nature of conduction, when wording and order of planed questions can be changed against the logic of discussion and subjects touched upon during interview.
Since in-depth interview, like focus group, belongs to quantitative category of sociological research it gives an opportunity to make significant conclusion with a small sampling.
|
