Design thinking resource
Direct conversations used to gather detailed information, personal experience and the meanings people attach to a situation.
Structured interviews use predetermined questions in the same order for each participant. Unstructured interviews evolve like an open conversation, while semi-structured interviews combine prepared themes with the freedom to ask follow-up questions.
The appropriate form depends on whether consistency, comparison, exploration or depth is the priority.
Participant selection may be random, convenient or purposeful. Establishing trust can support more candid responses, while informed consent, confidentiality and permission to record are essential ethical considerations.
Researchers may take notes or record audio and video. Recorded interviews often require verbatim transcription before thematic, grounded-theory or narrative analysis can begin.
Interviews offer depth, flexibility, immediate clarification and probing. They are used in academic and market research, journalism, recruitment and clinical settings.
They can also be time-consuming and subjective. Interviewer bias, socially desirable answers, recall problems and small non-random samples may limit interpretation and generalisability, so findings should be considered alongside other evidence.
Put the method to work
Clarify what the interview needs to help the project understand.
Choose people whose experience and perspective are relevant to the question.
Develop clear questions and test them with a small sample before formal research.
Explain the process, gain informed consent and create conditions for candid discussion.
Ask for examples, clarify uncertainty and follow important ideas without leading the participant.
Seek permission before recording and protect confidential information.
Identify themes and compare interview evidence with other methods or sources.
Why it matters
Gather rich, detailed accounts of experience, motivations and perspective.
Adapt the conversation when an unexpected but valuable direction emerges.
Resolve unclear responses immediately rather than guessing at their meaning.
Recognise that both questioning and interpretation can influence the evidence produced.
Plan for the labour involved in interviewing, transcription and analysis.
Avoid treating a small qualitative sample as automatically representative of a wider population.
Continue exploring
Place this method back within the broader 5E Design Thinking Framework and continue developing your understanding.