Depth interviews are conducted generally at the site of the research agency. People are invited telephonically, and are paid some amount by way of an incentive for participation.
Prior to being subjected to depth interview, the respondents are expected to fill up a questionnaire eliciting the background data. The interview room is well-appointed and has facilities for observation and videography.
The initial questions are simple, and are designed to break the ice between the interviewer and the respondent. The interviewer may talk about children or weather. Soon afterwards, the interviewer presents a brief introduction to the interview. He may say, ‘ I have some pictures of consumers shopping at a departmental store. I would like you to react to them.’ The interviewer then shows a picture of a woman taking a sari from a counter, and puts the question to the respondent what thoughts come to his mind on seeing this picture.
If the respondent responds to the stimulus, saying that the someone is buying a sari, the interviewer waits to get further comments or might probe in a non-directive manner by asking what more you have got to say. The interviewer may want the respondent to focus on a specific part of the stimulus.He can ask, ‘ What kind of a woman shopper is she ?’
Projective stimuli are not always necessary in a depth interview. The discussion can be set rolling by asking a question as to what type of customer drinks Pepsi or what are the occasions for you to use Pepsi. The idea is to make the respondent talk about the desired topic.
There are two approaches after the discussion starts. The discussion is not interrupted by changing the topic. Non-directive probes like ‘ Please tell me more’ or ‘ Why do you say so’ are used. Another approach expects the interviewer to cover pre-specified topic, and intervenes if some topics are left out. But here also the intervention comes late in the discussion.
The depth interview lasts for half an hour to one and a half hour. When the time is up or the topic is exhausted, the interview is closed. The respondent is thanked.
A depth interview with an executive is conducted at his office. Instead of monetary compensation, he can be given a copy of the report.
Interview Guide
Depth interviews are conducted by an interview guide.
Paired-Depth Interviews
Individual depth interviews are costlier than a focus group. It helps to conduct Paired-Depth Interviews with two participants.
Merits and Demerits of Depth Interviews
Depth interviews, as the name itself indicates, provide depth — they explore the subject deeply. It enables us to have a look at the respondent’s world. Thus another strength of depth interviews is that they give as a point of view.
Depth interviews have some demerits. As compared to surveys, they are costlier. The sample size is small, and it is not representative. Surveys generate homogeneous data. Depth interviews generate heterogeneous data — each respondent discusses different issues, in his own diction, as per the sequence he likes, and with varying levels of depth. The analysis of depth interview is thus subjective. The emphasis is on interpretertion rather than counting.
As compared to focus groups, depth interviews have greater depth and flexibility.But the weaknesses are the higher cost per person, less vivid, and no advantage of group interaction. The vivid nature suffers as depth interviews are generally not observed and videotaped. Executives rely upon the reports of the individual interviews.
Uses of Individual Depth Interviews
- They are useful to understand the product usage.
- They give us a better picture of consumers lives.
- They enable us to measure the bases of brand image.
- They are the first step in developing a structured questionnaire later.
Between Focus Groups and Depth Interviews
Sometimes focus groups may not be possible. It is difficult to gather a group of CEOs to discuss Executive Class air-travel. It is then advisable to conduct a depth interview. Sometimes a topic is a taboo, e.g. sexual preferences. The focus group is then not advisable.
Expert Depth Interviews
These are individual depth interviews which highlight the emerging new markets or marketing trends. Experts also provide clues to the behaviour of individual consumers. The experts are technically qualified persons from their respective fields, e.g. automobiles engineers for cars, beauticians for cosmetics, chemists for OTC products and agents for financial services.
Individual Depth Interviews
An individual depth interviews is an unstructured conversation between a respondent and interviewer. Its objective is to elicit attitudes and feelings about a product, which would not emerge from a structured interview. In this respect, it is similar to focus group. There are two occasions to use depth interviews, when opinions are to be obtained from all participants on the same topic and when participants are expected to react to physical stimuli such as projective measures. Let us understand the team projective measure. It is a stimulus which prompts respondent to project their thoughts and feelings. Some commonly used techniques are:
Drawing Pictures Respondents might be asked to draw pictures of a good doctor and a bad doctor to identify the cues that ultimately affect the quality of service.
Situation Description Respondents might be asked to describe the situation in which they will eat Uncle’s Chips.
User Description Respondents might be asked to describe the type of person who would use a particular product. For example, Femina might be read by a young working woman.
Picture Interpretation Respondents are asked to interpret an ambiguous picture.
Completing Missing Links Respondents are asked to look at a scene, and complete the missing links. For instance, respondents are asked to look at an incomplete list of cosmetics and asked what else should be included.
We have already given you some projective measures for use in focus groups and theses could also be used in depth interviews. But mostly projective measures are used in depth interviews.