Conducting a long interview, the interviewer can apply the techniques of box 8.6.
A depth interview requires a prior agreement and a set time, date, and place in
order to be successful (remember that a depth interview takes hours and that fore-
seeable disturbances should be eliminated). It is important that the interviewee is
well aware of the magnitude of the task prior to the interview.
The interviewer should be well prepared for the interview, meaning that he or
she should be well informed about the topic for the interview, but should still
keep an open mind remembering that it is the respondent’s experiencesthat are of
interest and considered valid in this kind of interview. Below you will find guide-
lines for the conduction of depth interviews. First, we will explain some of the
key terms.
Biographical questions are asked in order to record who the person is, as well
as to get the talk going. Grand-tour opening questions are very broad questions
opening up for the interview; these will guide the interviewer as to where the
interview might be going. Especially in the beginning of the interview,
prompting techniques can be applied in order to help the interview along.
Prompting techniques are techniques to express interest to help the interviewee
along and make them elaborate on the topic. It can be done by raising your
eyebrows or repeating the last word of a sentence in an interested way in order to
encourage the respondent to explain more. The interviewer is also encouraged to
‘play dumb’. It is important not to intimidate the respondent by appearing too
clever or superior in other ways. Playing decidedly dumb might not prove
necessary but is preferable to the opposite. Remember that you are allowed
access into the life world of the respondent and he or she should feel as
comfortable as possible about letting you in. A successful depth interview is
very much a matter of trust.
asking questions regarding the meaning of the pictures in order to
capture the full context of category meaning.- In part two of the interviews, insight into the use of coffee was
obtained. Especially, how coffee consumption has changed over the
course of time in the lives of the respondents was highlighted. - The final part of the interviews focused on the consumers’ brand rela-
tionships with their favourite coffee brands. The images identified by
respondents to depict how they felt about their favourite coffee brands
were used to help the stories along.
Deep insight into coffee consumption in general, category use in different
stages of life, and relationships with favourite brands was obtained through
this method. Comparing stage one and stage three of the interviews high-
lighted the difference between coffee consumption in general and perceived
brand relationships specifically.
SourceFournier and Yao (1997)168 Seven brand approaches