Tool details
Observation While Interviewing
While you are interviewing, observe and document the reactions and behaviour and not just their answers.
Tool category:
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When to use
You want to record more than just someones answers, and you suspect that there is valuable information in their non-verbal behaviour.
Why you should
To get a more complex understanding and to avoid missing important context outside just the words in their answers.
What you get
A list of findings according to your observations with both their answers and their behaviour, and input to whether your hypothesis are correct or not.
Steps to take
Start by defining some hypothesises. Find out what you want to research.
Find someone that you want to interview and observe about the topic you want to research.
Document their answers, but also how they react to your questions and all information available to you in addition to their answers. It can be their body language, their face expressions, how long time they take to reply. Do they seem uncomfortable or are they feeling particularly confident about a certain topic? You can take notes, pictures or record. Remember to inform and ask for consent if you record.
Summarise and analyse the findings.
Further reading
Be aware that when you are observing, you'll have some effect on the people you observe. They are aware that you are there, and that you are observering them. It might be a good idea to not specify that you are observing their body language etc, in order for them to act as natural as possible.