I like the approach of double-teaming each interview. One person facilitates -- maintains eye contact, asks questions, nods, actually listens to the conversation. The other takes notes and keeps track of which research questions have been covered. We digitally record the interview as well, which has been invaluable.
In my limited experience, my "poor note taking" has been a barrier during the interview itself, especially if I'm interviewing alone. I like reviewing the tape/transcript after the fact and taking notes from there. I find it's a good way to reengage with my project, get the mental juices flowing. I think the take-away is to tailor your approach for your situation. * How many people will attend the interview? (is there room for assigning different interview roles?) * Will it be mostly conversation (audio), or will it be following work on a computer (video)? * Do you have the time/resources for transcription? * Do you have the time spread out interviews over days/weeks, so you can adjust your technique each time? -Jon On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 10:17 PM, Carol Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > Technology can fail in a myriad of ways. Without note taking, you risk > losing the information you spend hours planning to collect. > > I *always* recommend taking notes (in any form). > > I take copious notes. I create a document to help me take notes for each > participant which includes the questions I need answered and plenty of space > for the notes. Depending on the situation, I also create forms to track > common events between participants. > > I then shred, recycle the paper, and plant another tree in my yard for good > measure. ;) > > Carol > > ------------------- > Carol J. Smith > Principal Consultant, Midwest Research, LLC > http://www.mw-research.com > LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/caroljsmith > > UPA 2009 International Conference: 8-12 June, 2009 > http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/conference/2009/ > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [email protected] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
