In-depth interviews The in-depth interview is a qualitative research technique that conducts intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their perspectives on a particular idea, program or situation, etc. The aim to get more complete picture of a particular subject/problem. Györgyi Danó 1

The task Make face-to face interviews with 4 tourists (who have visited the city already) OR 4 locals (who have deep knowledge of the city) OR 2 experts (e.g. tour guide, tour operator who have deep knowledge of the city) Györgyi Danó 2

Prepare Your interview guide I.Introduction II.Questions III.Closing Györgyi Danó 3

Introduction Thank you Your name Purpose Confidentiality Duration How interview will be conducted Opportunity for questions Györgyi Danó 4 Don't count on your memory to recall their answers. Ask for permission to record the interview.

Example - Introduction I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. My name is … and I would like to talk to you about … The interview should take approximately … minutes/hour. I will be taping the session because I don’t want to miss any of your comments. Although I will be taking some notes during the session, I can’t possibly write fast enough to get it all down. All responses will be kept confidential. This means that your interview responses will only be shared with research team members and we will ensure that any information we include in our report does not identify you as the respondent. Remember, you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. Are there any questions about what I have just explained? Györgyi Danó 5

Questions approx. 15 main open-ended questions + probes Györgyi Danó 6 Please explain your answer! Can you tell me a little more about that? Would you give me an example? Is there anything else? Why do you think/like…?* Behaviors - about what a person has done or is doing Opinions/values - about what a person thinks about a topic Feelings - note that respondents sometimes respond with "I think..." so be careful to note that you're looking for feelings Knowledge - to get facts about a topic Sensory - about what people have seen, touched, heard, tasted or smelled

Györgyi Danó 7 An in-depth interview guide is just that: a guide. In-depth interviewers have the freedom to follow a respondent’s train of thought, and reorder the questions if it better suits the flow of the discussion.

Conducting the interviews Strategies to improve the quality of your in-depth interview experience: Active listening. Listen and rephrase what was said to ensure that you are completely understanding what your respondent is intending. Patience. Do not rush the respondent. Allow the respondent to speak freely, while guiding the conversation to cover important issues, or gently re-focusing the conversation if it wanders off track. Always keep in mind that in-depth interview questions are like invitations to share a story. Allow your respondents to tell you theirs. Flexibility. Be open to slight deviations from the topic which may require rearranging or reordering the questions, or coming up with new questions. Györgyi Danó 8

In-depth Interviewing: Do’s and Don’ts DO probe on the last remark made by the respondent DO probe on an idea expressed earlier in the interview DO use encouraging sounds DO introduce new topics as appropriate DO know what it is you want to find out DO become very familiar with your interview guide so that you can move back and forth through it as needed DO spend more time listening than talking DON’T interview in an environment where there are external interruptions DON’T spend interview time on irrelevant or unrelated topics DON’T jump from one subject to another DON’T use words or phrases the respondent won’t understand DON’T ask leading questions DON’T introduce your own perspective into the interview DON’T interrupt respondents unless absolutely necessary Györgyi Danó 9

Analyzing the interviews What are the key findings? - provide quotes from respondents “………quote…………” - Hungarian, female, age 20 Where and how are the results similar and dissimilar to your other findings? Conclusion Györgyi Danó 10

Sources es_indepth_interviews.pdf htm center/Documents/Workbook-E-Indepth-Interviews.pdf Györgyi Danó 11 + Interview guide samples: e.pdf