Qualitative data: interviews (MR, unit 7)

USING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
particularly useful for
- new products where no existing data
- to help define direction of more detailed research
- developing marketing communications messages and pre-testing them

Helps to:

• determine whether to continue development
• what further development required
• what part of market to target

INTERVIEWS
Unstructured
- Interviewer has list of topics to cover but free to word as wish
- Order varies allowing respondent to control data flow
- May provide relevant questions which can then be put to wider audience

Depth interviews
- Pattern of questioning should assist respondent to explore deeper levels of thought (open-ended questioning
- Uses psychoanalytic techniques

• Strengths:
• personal material more easily accessed & discussed
• respondents less likely to reiterate socially acceptable attributes
• Weaknesses:
• time consuming to conduct and analyses (1-2hrs)
• more costly than group discussions
• temptation to treat as quantitative questionnaires

Factors to consider when arranging interviews:

• Who should respondents be? depends on subject / 10-15 people / pre-recruit for consumer
  
• Type of interview? depth is 1-2-1
• Length - genuine depth 1-2hrs due to analysis time, mini depth could focus on predefined topic
• Structure - totally open-ended or semi-structured
• Any materials to be used? mock-ups, prototypes, storyboards