Why does your business need to conduct in-depth interviews?

In this article, we’ll explore how this research method serves as a powerful strategy for innovation, informed decision-making, and building a deeper connection with your clients. Stay tuned, as our team has prepared a lot of insights for you to be ahead of the curve and drive meaningful change within an organization.

What is an in-depth interview?

An in-depth interview (IDI) is a detailed, one-on-one chat with someone who uses your product. This kind of research is the ultimate way to get inside your potential visitors’ heads and find out about their daily lives, thought processes, habits, and the real nitty-gritty of what they struggle with when interacting with your product or even a competitor’s one. Through these interviews, you can take advantage of insights to make services and design even better.

In-depth interviews are the best way to truly understand your users.

This method is particularly handy at the product development stage, but it can also be valuable for existing products. Simply put, you should always keep a finger on the pulse of your users’ changing needs and experiences. The juicy details you gather can be utilized for creating things like user-need statements, personas, customer journey maps, and more.

In terms of real-life cases, let’s imagine that you are working on developing a taxi app. Well, there are a lot of competitors on the market and no fewer users who are in demand for such platforms. For you, it is a great opportunity to ask people about their experiences with booking taxis in the past and find out why they prefer certain types of cars over others.

Which companies need to conduct in-depth interviews? 

Regardless of the industry you operate in, in-depth interviews are versatile and useful for understanding customers. Whether you’re offering products, services, or anything in between, this research method can provide invaluable insights. Let’s see how different types of companies can benefit:

• Product companies. If you’re selling physical gadgets or digital downloads, in-depth interviews can give the lowdown on what users love, what irks them, and what they’re hoping to see in your product.
• Software and tech companies. Got a cool app or a nifty piece of software? Use these interviews to smooth out user interfaces, squash bugs, and generally make your tech more user-friendly.
• Service providers. In-depth interviews can help you understand what clients expect to get from a certain product. Using this approach you can match their current needs and maximize the level of satisfaction with your product.
• Startups. Just starting out? In-depth interviews are great for testing business ideas, figuring out who your audience is, and fine-tuning your product or service to make sure they hit the mark.
• E-commerce platforms. With in-depth interviews, large-scale websites can explore customers’ shopping habits, preferences, and pain points to make their online shopping experience a breeze.
• Marketing agencies. Talking directly to users can give exceptional insights for building marketing strategies and creating a strong connection with your audience.
• Healthcare providers. Hospitals, clinics, and medical centers can benefit big time from patient interviews to understand their experiences and boost satisfaction with the overall quality of care.
• Educational institutions. Schools and universities can use interviews to gather feedback from students, parents, and teachers. It’s a great way to make sure your educational offerings are on point.
• Financial entities. Banks and financial services can get a clearer picture of what clients want, improve their digital interfaces, and address any issues with financial products.
• Nonprofit corporations. These organizations can use interviews to understand the needs of their consumers better, get feedback on programs, and improve service delivery.

All in all, in-depth interviews are a one-size-fits-all solution for companies of any shape and size across different industries. The beauty of it is that you can tailor these interviews to meet specific business goals, gather quality data, and gain some real, actionable insights.

The ups and downs of in-depth interviews for businesses

In-depth interviews, like anything else, come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Before you decide to jump in, let’s take a closer look at what’s in store for your business with these interviews.

The pros of this research method are:

• High-quality insights. These chats give you the kind of deep, qualitative data that numbers alone can’t. You’ll get into users’ mindset and decision-making processes, which is vital for understanding their choices.
• Surprise discoveries. Ever had a conversation that took an unexpected turn? That’s what can happen in these interviews. You might stumble upon insights and ideas you never even thought of.
• Flexible questioning. In these interviews, you can pivot and probe based on what the interviewee says. It’s having a conversation that can go anywhere, uncovering more specific and relevant details.
• Understanding the context. You’ll get the backstory behind user opinions and behaviors. It’s like getting a peek into their world — their frustrations, delights, and what really makes them tick.
• Employee insights. Don’t forget, you can interview your own team too! Their feedback can improve workplace dynamics and offer ideas for upgrading services, products, or even the company culture.
• Pinpointing pain points. Through open-ended questions, you can dig out those specific issues that users might not mention anywhere else.
• Building empathy. There’s nothing like a face-to-face chat for developing empathy. It helps your team really connect with what customers are experiencing.

In-depth interviews also have several cons, including:

• Resource-intensive. Let’s be honest, these interviews can take a lot of time and effort, especially compared to quicker methods like surveys.
• Small sample size. You’re chatting with fewer people, so it might be harder to apply what you learn to a larger group.
• Potential for social desirability bias. Sometimes, people might tell you what they think you want to hear, not what they really think.

Сombine IDIs with other research methods like surveys or user testing to get a complete picture of the audience and their needs.

Stages of the in-depth interviews

For companies that have never connected with their clients through in-depth interviews, practicing this approach can be incredibly rewarding. Let’s break down the stages to help you get the most out of interactions with users.

1. Setting goals

Before you even think about starting those interviews, it’s crucial to have your goals clear. What specific information are you after? What do you hope to achieve by the end of these chats? Knowing exactly what you’re looking for will guide the structure of the research and help in crafting the right questions. With clear objectives, you dig in the right places and can uncover the insights that matter most to your business.

2. Finding respondents

The second stage is all about picking the right people to talk to. It’s important to choose participants who really get your product or service or maybe even those who prefer what your competitors offer. The idea is to talk to folks who mirror your target audience — this way, you know that the insights gathered will benefit your business.

When it comes to finding these respondents, you have few paths here. One of the free ways is posting in social media groups that match what you’re all about. It’s a no cost option, but patience is key, as it might take some time to get responses.

Alternatively, there are platforms with databases of respondents you can tap into for a fee, a discount code for your services, or some other form of appreciation. A bit of cash, and you’ve got a list of potential interviewees at your fingertips.

3. Crafting an interview guide

To have a successful chat, consider mixing open-ended questions and more specific ones. With this approach, you’ll get both quality and quantity in answers. Start off with some general questions to break the ice, then ease into the deeper topics.

Try to include a variety of question types — like behavioral ones, situational scenarios, and those based on opinions. By doing so, you’re set to get a well-rounded view of your interviewee’s thoughts and experiences.

A good guide keeps you on track but also leaves room for those unexpected, insightful detours.

4. Conducting in-depth interviews

Once you’ve established a connection, get into the heart of the conversation to explore the user’s experiences and behaviors. Encourage them to share real-life stories, including the challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve made decisions. This stage uncovers what matters to your users — their pain points, motivations, and the factors influencing their actions.

We recommend you stick to asking about past experiences. Avoid hypothetical future scenarios like, “Would you use this feature if we had it?” Even if participants say yes, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’d actually use it in real life. Focusing on background can keep your data relevant and avoid collecting responses that might lead you down the wrong path.

5. Analyzing and classifying data

Now that you’ve wrapped up the interviews, it’s time to sift through what you’ve learned and make changes. The goal is to identify key takeaways — common issues, negative experiences, likes, dislikes, and patterns in user behavior. From here, you can create empathy maps, user personas, and customer journey maps, super helpful tools for visualizing your findings and making sense of them.

And hey, don’t keep all this good stuff to yourself — share it with the whole team. It’s important that everyone understands who your users are and what they need.

Who conducts in-depth interviews?

Ever wondered who’s behind those insightful, in-depth interviews? It’s a mix of individual experts and teams, all involved in shaping user-centric outcomes. They come from various fields like product development, design, and customer research. Let’s meet some of these key players:

• Product managers. To understand participants’ needs and preferences, project managers ensure that what users want and need is at the heart of product development and improvement.
• UX designers. With the skills to turn complex products into simple ones, UX designers conduct in-depth interviews to gather information and design interfaces that match users’ expectations.
• Researchers. Through in-depth interviews, researchers track down trends, decode customer behaviors, and understand what really ticks for the target audience.
• Customer support teams. Whether to pinpoint user struggles or get feedback, customer support teams use interviews to fine-tune the the service to perfection.
• Startups and entrepreneurs. For those starting new business ventures, in-depth interviews help validate ideas, clarify who their audience is, and refine what they offer.

How in-depth interview results can influence business?

It’s no secret that a single bad experience can drive users to a competitor while meeting their expectations is key for encouraging interaction with your service, app, or website. This is why understanding your audience can lead to decisions and strategies that form overall success. Here’s how they make a big splash:

• Product and service improvement. The insights from in-depth interviews spotlight areas for improvement in products or services. By tuning into user needs and preferences, companies can make iterative tweaks that seriously level up the user experience.
• Informed decision-making. In-depth interviews provide detailed, qualitative data that serves as a solid foundation to support savvy choices in strategic planning, resource allocation, and prioritizing initiatives.
• User-centered design. Companies involved in product design or user experience benefit greatly from interview results. They help create interfaces and features that truly resonate with users, leading to increased satisfaction.
• New product development. Interviews can reveal unmet needs and desires, sparking ideas for new products or services. This proactive approach can lead to innovations that meet market demands.
• Competitive advantage. Businesses using IDIs to understand customer needs gain an edge. This knowledge lets them stand out, offering unique solutions and being a step ahead by addressing specific pain points.
• Risk mitigation. After spotting potential risks and issues early in the development process with in-depth interviews, businesses can address these concerns timely and protect their reputation and financial health.

Beyond simple chats

So, we’ve covered a lot about in-depth interviews. That might be tough to take in all at once, but the information and the tips provided in this article should be extremely beneficial. Whether it’s refining your product, making smarter strategic decisions, or innovating with user needs in mind, in-depth interview insights are invaluable.

And remember, no matter where you are in the process — the Halo Lab team is here to guide you through. If you’ve already got some information, we can explore it together, pulling out the key insights that’ll really make your project shine. And if you’re new to this whole interview thing, don’t sweat it — our experts can easily integrate this research method into the work process.

Ready to take your project to the next level? Reach out to us today, and let’s start crafting a user experience that truly speaks to your audience. Your journey to success begins with a simple click — contact Halo Lab.