Before you interview someone else, you must in effect interview yourself

Interviewing domain people in conjunction with requirements gathering:

1. Introduction

Although this section deals with interviewing, there are other techniques for eliciting information from users and they can be listed under the

following:

(i) studying written documentation,

(ii) questionnaires,

(iii) interviewing and

(iv) unobtrusive observation.

Here are some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each:

The weakness of studying written documentation is that sometimes procedures are changed, whether officially or unofficially but the written documentation is not changed to match those changes.

Questionnaires have the virtue of covering the views of many people and many roles but lack the depth that may be provided by interviews.

Interviews for their part are very time-consuming and require considerable skill.

Unobtrusive observation may not be as unobtrusive as one would hope. Also it is not a good way to build up a rapport with the domain people, particularly those who are not of a senior rank. On the other hand it may tend to reveal procedures that have not been recorded in the written documentation.

Can you think of any others?

Before you interview someone else, you must in effect interview yourself. You need to know your biases and how they will affect your perceptions. Your education, intellect, upbringing, emotions and ethical framework all serve as powerful filters for what you will be hearing in your interviews.

2. Planning the Interview

Five Steps in Interviewing Preparation:

1.Read Background Material

2.Establish Interviewing Objectives

3.Decide Whom to Interview

4.Prepare the Interview

5.Decide on Question Types and Structure

3. Question Types

3.1 Open-Ended Interview Questions

These allow the respondent open options for responding. Open-ended questions include those such as “What do you think about putting all of the managers on an intranet?” and “Please explain how you make a scheduling decision.” Consider the phrase "open-ended". "Open" actually describes the interviewee’s options for responding. They are open. The response can be two words or two paragraphs, or twenty-two paragraphs even.

Open-ended interview questions:

- Put the interviewee at ease;

- Allow the interviewer to pick up on the interviewee’s vocabulary, which reflects his/her education, values, attitudes, and beliefs;

- Provide richness of detail;

- Reveal avenues of further questioning that may have gone untapped;

- Make it more interesting for the interviewee;

- Allow more spontaneity;

- Make phrasing easier for the interviewer;

- Use them in a pinch if the interviewer is caught unprepared.

3.2 Closed Interview Questions

These limit the options the respondent has for responding.

Such questions are of the basic form : “How many subordinates do you have? ” The possible responses are closed to the interviewees, since they can only reply with a finite number such as “None”, “One”, or “Fifteen.”

A closed question limits the response available to the interviewee. You may be familiar with closed questions through multiple-choice exams in college. You are given a question and five responses, but you are not allowed to write down your own response and still be counted as having correctly answered the question.

A special kind of closed question is the bipolar question. This limits the interviewee even further by only allowing a choice on either pole, such as yes or no, true or false, agree or disagree:

“Do you use internet to locate customers?”

“Do you agree or disagree that commerce on the Web lacks security?”

“Is this form complete?”

etc.

The benefits of using closed questions of either type include:

- Saving time;

- Easily comparing interviews;

- Getting to the point;

- Keeping control over the interview;

- Covering lots of ground quickly;

- Getting to relevant data.

3.3 Probes, or “follow-up”

These allow the system analyst to follow up questions to get more detailed responses. The strongest probe is the simplest: "Why?" Other probes are: "can you give me an example?" and "Will you elaborate on that for me?" Probes may be either open-ended and closed questions.

3.4 Question Pitfall

Here are troublesome question types that can ruin your data:

Avoiding Leading Questions.

Leading questions tend to lead the interviewee into a response that you seem to want. The response is then biased since you are setting up a kind of trap: “You agree with other managers that inventory control should be computerised, don’t you?” You have made it uncomfortable to disagree. An alternative, preferred phrasing could be: “What do you think of computerizing inventory control?”

Avoiding Double-Barrelled Questions.

Double-barrelled questions are those that use only one question mark for what are actually two separate questions: “What decisions are made during a typical day and how do you make them?” A double-barrelled question is a poor choice because interviewees may answer only one question, or you may mistake which question they are answering and draw the wrong conclusion.

Arranging Questions in a Logical Sequence

There are two of recognised ways of reasoning – inductive and deductive, and there are two similar ways of organising your interviews. A third way combines both inductive and deductive patterns.

Using a Pyramid Structure

The interviewer then expands the topics by allowing open-ended questions and more generalized responses. Pyramid structure for interviewing goes from specific to general questions.

What

precisely

is the problem

in your forecasting model?

----------------------------------

Have you considered obtaining

more up-to-date information?

------------------------------------------------

What do you think would make

forecasting here more effective?

------------------------------------------------------------------

In general, how do you feel about forecasting?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.5 Using a Funnel Structure

The interviewer takes a deductive approach by beginning with generalized, open-ended question and then narrowing the possible responses by using closed questions.

What are your reactions to the new computer system?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

What computers do you use?

-----------------------------------------------------------

What is the cost of the new

computer system?

-----------------------------------------------

Is the new computer system

worth the cost?

------

Funnel structure for interviewing begins with broad questions, then funnels to specific questions.

Using the funnel structure method provides an easy, non-threatening way to begin an interview. Respondents will not feel pressured that they are giving a “wrong” response to an open-ended question. A funnel-shaped question sequence is also useful when the interviewee feels emotional about the topic and needs freedom to express those emotions.

A benefit of using a funnel structure is that organising the interview in such a manner may elicit so much detailed information that long sequences of closed questions and probes are unnecessary.

Diamond-Shaped Structure for Interviewing

This combines the pyramid and funnel structures.

The interviewer begins with easy, closed questions that provide a warm-up to the interview process. In the middle of the interview, the interviewee is asked for options on broad topics. The interviewer then narrows the questions again to get specific questions answered.

The chief advantage of using a diamond-shaped structure is keeping your interviewee’s interest and attention through a variety of questions.

How do

you make your - specific question

distribution decisions?

----------------------------------

Do you think you can teach

someone else to make these decisions?

--------------------------------------------------------

What would you take to set up decision rules - general

so others can benefit from your experience? question

----------------------------------------------------------

Are computers helpful in

making decisions?

--------------------------------------------------

Can a computer make

these distribution

decisions? - specific question

--------------------------------

Structured Versus Unstructered Interviews.

Here are attributes of unstructured and structured interviews to consider when deciding on an interview format:

Unstructured Structured

Difficult ---------------------Evaluation---------------------------------Easy

High -------------------Amount of Time Required---------------------Low

Much

Needed----------------Training Required-------------------------------Limited

Much------------------Allows Spontaneity------------------------------Little

Much Very

Opportunity---------Provides Interviewee Insight---------------------Little

Great-----------------------Flexibility------------------------------------Little

Low-----------------------Interviewer Control----------------------------High

Low-----------------------Precision-----------------------------------High

Low-------------------------Reliability-------------------------------High

4. Making a Record of the Interview

Making an Audio Recording

Advantages:

- It provides a completely accurate record of what each person said;

- It frees the interviewer to listen to what is said and to respond more rapidly;

- It allows better eye contact and hence better development of rapport between interviewer and interviewee;

- It allows a replay of the interview for other team members.

Disadvantages:

- Possibly making the interviewee nervous and less apt to response freely;

- Possibly making the interviewer less apt to listen, since it’s all being recorded;

- The difficulty in locating important passages on a long tape;

- The increasing cost of data gathering because of the need to transcribe tapes.

Notetaking:

may be your only way to record the interview if your interviewee refuses your request to make an audio tape.

Advantages:

- Keeping the interviewer alert;

- Aiding recall of important questions;

- Helping recall of important interview trends;

- Showing interviewer interest in the interview;

- Demonstrating the interviewer’s preparedness.

Disadvantages:

- Losing vital eye contact;

- Losing the train of the conversation;

- Making the interviewee hesitant to speak when notes are being made;

- Causing excessive attention to facts and too little attention to feelings and opinions.

Try not to do any notes on your laptop or notebook computer. Your rapport with interviewees ad your general concentration may decrease.

Before the Interview

The day preceding your interview, contact your interviewees via phone or e-mail to reconfirm times and places of interviews.

Coordinate appointments with any other team members and gather necessary materials.

You must dress in a credible manner.

Arrive a little earlier for your interview. Use the extra time to review your notes or start making observations about the organisation.

Conducting the Actual Interview:

Beginning the Interview

Shake hands, remind your name and briefly outline once more why you are there and why you chose to interview him or her.

As you sit down, immediately take out your cassette recorder and/or your note pad. Tell the interviewee what you will do with the data you collect. Be reassuring about its confidentiality.

All interview material should be covered in 45 minutes to an hour.

Closing the interview appropriately is as important as opening it well.

During the interview, reflect back to some of your interviewee’s responses through paraphrasing or summarizing in order to double-check that you understand his or her meaning.

If unsure, ask for definitions or clarification.

The end of the interview is a natural place to ask one key question:

“Is there anything we haven’t touched on that you feel is important for me to know?”

To conclude the interview:

- summarize and provide feedback on your overall impressions;

- Inform the interviewee about the subsequent steps to take and what you and other team members will do next;

- You may wish ask the interviewee who you should talk with next;

- Set up future appointment times for follow-up interviews ;

- Thank the interviewee for his or her time and shake hands.

5. Writing the Interview Report

You should write the interview report as soon as possible after the interview, listing the main points provided, as well as opinions about what was said.

After this initial the summary, go into more detail, noting main points of the interview and your own opinions.

6. Joint Application Design

The alternative approach to interviewing users one by one, called Joint Application Design (JAD), was developed by IBM.

It cuts both the time and cost of personal interviews. Using JAD, analysts can both analyse requirements and design a user interface with users in a group setting. Careful assessment of the particular organizational settings will help the analyst judge whether JAD is a suitable alternative.

It is recommended to hold two-to-four-day sessions offsite, away from the organization.