Research Methods: Interview

Research Methods: Interview:
Research methods may involve a wide variety of approaches this video will focus in on the use of interviews as a means of collecting information.
Interviews are widely used to gain an insight into customers’ expectations regarding the product. This is valuable information because it may guide the development of the company and the product into the future. For example, it may lead to innovation and the development of new markets. It may also lead to changes in the style of the product by bringing it up to date.
So, interviews are a good way of determining the customers reaction to the product or to proposed changes in the product.
There are problems, however, with interviews. Interviews need to be prepared and worked through thoroughly before they are delivered. If this does not happen the results from interviews can be very misleading and dangerous for the business.
The questions to be asked should be carefully prepared, they should be free from bias, and easy to understand. Now, this is just a brief example of some of the problems in interviewing. For example, the interviewer may ask biased questions, these are questions that lead the respondent to give a particular answer.
The questions may also be too technical, and the respondent may be unable to give an accurate answer. However, in an effort to avoid appearing confused may give any answer and therefore the interviews may also be dangerous, they may include ill thought out answers.
The video covers many of these issues in detail and also includes many other points that need to be borne in mind when using an interview to collect business information.
The video, which is one of many on the course, will take you through many of the major problems associated with interviewing and suggest methods for avoiding these pitfalls.