Introduction to HCI (Human Computer Interaction)

Fall 2019

Interview

Prof. Narges Mahyar

UMass Amherst
[email protected]
Courses, projects, papers, and more:
http://groups.cs.umass.edu/nmahyar/

© Mahyar with acknowledgements to Joanna McGrenere and Leila Aflatoony

1
Team formation activity [15 min]

▸ Pick your project and team members.

▸ Pick a team leader.
▸ By the end of today you should update the
Google sheet, with your project name and
team members.

2
Today

▸ Quizz [10 min]

▸ Team formation [15 min]
▸ Field studies: interviews [20min]
▸ Watch a video [15 min]
▸ Project questions & team formation [15 min]

3
Learning goals

▸ explain when and why interviews may be

appropriate evaluation technique choice

▸ describe different types of Interviews

▸ discuss pros/cons of interviewing
▸ outline criteria for a good interview, and
things you want to avoid doing

4
Interviews: when and why

▸ a tool that can be used at any point in design process

▸ are well suited for:
▸ exploring issues

▸ learning more about tasks, scenarios of use

▸ involving users (+ making them feel involved)

▸ getting inside the user’s head

5
Interviews: infinitely malleable

▸Some things that can vary:

▸ number of people
▸ individual, pairs, groups
▸ scope
▸ duration, depth and breadth
▸ type
▸ structured, semi-structured, unstructured
▸ location
▸ in the lab vs. reality (in context)

6
kinds of interviews

▸ three main types:

▸ open-ended / unstructured
▸ semi-structured
▸ structured
▸ other categories:
▸ group - e.g. focus groups
▸ retrospective – user recalls and describes
▸ contextual inquiry – user is interviewed while working

7
Unstructured interviews

▸most like a conversation, often go into depth

▸open questions
▸exploratory
▸ absolute key is to listen rather than talk: practice silence!
▸pros/cons:
▸ rich data, things interviewer may not have considered
▸ easy to go off the rails
▸ time-consuming & difficult to analyze
▸ impossible to replicate

8
Semi-structured 


▸in between structured & unstructured:

▸ seek a mix of constrained and unconstrained
responses
▸ make sure to cover bases
▸ e.g. list of items to definitely cover, responses to
definitely get
▸ flexibility for open-ended follow-up as situation
evolves

9
Structured interviews

▸ predetermined questions
▸ (like questionnaire, often with a flowchart)
▸ closed questions
▸ short, clearly worded questions
▸ confirmatory
▸ pros/cons:
▸ replicable
▸ potentially important detail can be lost

10
Group interviews (focus group)

▸ 2-10 people interviewed at one time

▸ usually has agenda, but may be either structured or unstructured
▸ skilled moderator critical!
▸ usually recorded
▸ pros/cons:
▸ can accommodate diverse and sensitive issues
▸ opinions developed within a social context
▸ some participants may be reluctant to take opposing view
▸ good way to locate “proto-users”: most articulate, imaginative
participants can help later w/participatory design

11
Retrospective interview

▸post-test interview to clarify events that occurred during system

use:
▸record what happened, replay it, and ask about it

▸pros/cons:
▸excellent for following up and grounding an evaluation
▸avoids erroneous reconstruction
▸users often offer concrete suggestions
▸takes time; might require a second session

12
UD Co-Spaces: A Table-Centred Multi-Display Environment for Public Engagement
in Urban Design Charrettes

Mahyar et al, UD Co-Spaces: A Table-Centred Multi-Display Environment for Public

Engagement in Urban Design Charrettes, ISS 2016 [Honorable Mention Award]

13
Comparative study

14
UD Co-Spaces evaluation study

15
Interview guideline

▸ do not pre-suppose answer

▸ How often do you use your mobile phone to call family
members? VERSUS
▸ What are the ways in which you communicate with your loved
ones?
▸ be open-ended - avoid yes/no questions
▸ avoid:
▸ asking long questions
▸ using compound sentences
▸ using jargon

16
How will data be recorded?

▸handwritten notes (free form, coding sheet)

▸ written notes can provide context, but not always details
▸audio recording
▸ audio recording helps capture terminology, common
phrases, specific details
▸video capture
▸ video recording helps provide body language
▸still photos

17
What do you need to bring?

▸ be organized BEFORE you start:

▸consent forms
▸screening forms (if participant selection not done in advance)
▸audio/video equipment
▸ extra tapes, microphone?, extra batteries, tripod
▸note taking equipment
▸instruments: interview scripts, questionnaire?
▸just because it is a qualitative method does not mean that
detailed preparation is not required!

18
Some criteria for a good interview

▸ structure the time

▸ have a clear beginning, middle and end
▸ give participants context
▸ explain why they are there, what you hope to learn
▸ if they don’t know, they can’t tell you
▸ use props and visuals
▸ (e.g., prototypes, photos)
▸ sometimes it’s easier to show than to tell
▸ listen
▸ make eye contact

19
Pilot testing

▸ check for:
▸ duration
▸ clarity of interview questions
▸ non-repetitive, ability to deliver the script fluidly
▸ ability to operate recording equipment
▸ bottom line: do you get meaningful data?

20
Primary and secondary

▸ there is often too much for one person to do!

▸ primary
▸ usually the person who has contacted the
participant and guides the discussion

▸ secondary
▸ responsible for most data capture (all recording
devices, primary notes, artifact collection)

21
Post session

▸ debrief immediately with partner/team

▸ type notes right away – expand as appropriate (make sure to note
clearly what are expansions b/c they are subject to recall)

▸ check your recordings and label media

▸ make a log of all the items from the session (artifacts, audio/video
tapes, still images, notes…)

▸ write up reflection on session (things that were not clear,

surprising, …)

▸ plan for transcripts of dialog, as appropriate

22
Activity: comparing and contrasting interviews [20 min]

▸“how to do a research interview”

▸ link to full video:
▸ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t-_hYjAKww
▸ Contains more advice on good interviewing

▸ Note
▸ example is from social sciences

. . . many similarities to interviews in HCI


23
What are the attributes of the greatest interviewers in the world?

24
Communication tips from some of the world’s best interviewers

1. First Prepare Notes, Then Toss Them

2. Match Your Partner – in mood, energy level, language and

body language

3. Practice Flexible Listening

4. Activate the Power of the Pause

5. Cultivate Curiosity

6. Practice Ego Suspension: The Power of Forgetting Yourself

https://buffer.com/resources/6-powerful-communication-tricks-from-some-of-the-
worlds-best-interviewers
25
On deck…

▸ Next class (Tuesday) …

▸ Readings (as posted)

▸ Team contract is due

26
Extra slides

27
Interweaving guideline

▸interview in everyday, familiar settings – take cues from context

▸be flexible to adapt line of questioning
▸establish and maintain good rapport
▸casual conversation is not bad
▸assume respondent is expert
▸do not interrupt unnecessarily
▸plan questions that allow triangulation
▸ ask the same question in different ways

28
 Pros and Cons of Interview
Advantages Challenges and limitations
Can provide more detailed information than Can be time-intensive because of the time it
other data collection methods, such as surveys takes to conduct interviews, transcribe them,
and analyze the results
May provide a more relaxed atmosphere in Interviewer must be appropriately trained in
which to collect information through interviewing techniques in order to extract the
conversation, in comparison to filling out a most detailed and rich data from an interviewee
survey
Interviewee can provide firsthand and more Not generalizable; generalizations about the
personal knowledge of a given topic that was results are usually incapable of being made
not anticipated by the researcher because small samples are chosen and
random sampling methods are not used
Prone to bias; responses from interviewees
(community members, program participants,
etc) might be biased due to their stake in the
program

Boyce, C., Neale, P. (2006) Conducting In-depth interviews: A Guide for Designing and Conducting In-Depth
Interviews for Evaluation Input, Pathfinder international, pp.1-12.

29
 Pros and Cons of Focus Groups
Advantages Challenges and limitations
Hancock,
GenerateB.,many
Windridge K, Ockleford
ideas through E (2007). An Introduction
dynamic Where focus to groups
Qualitative Research, Trent
are conducted within an
RDSU.
discussions; “snowballing effect” can occur as organization, participants may be concerned
participants develop ideas together about confidentiality
Bottom-up generation of concerns and issues, Researcher must be highly skilled in facilitating
which can help to establish survey variables and managing group discussions
Can offer validity to research and avoid issues Some participants may not speak openly and
of bias in researcher’s interpretation may be inhibited because of the group
Relatively quick and efficient when compared Dominance by one, or some, participant(s)
with participant observation could limit findings relevant to the group as a
whole

30
 Pros and Cons of Participant Observation
Advantages Challenges and limitations
Permits access to the “backstage culture,” Interpretation of data collected by researchers
allows for richly detailed description of might be skewed by the researcher's individual
behaviours, intentions, situations, and events interest rather than what actually happens in a
as understood by one's informants culture
Provides opportunities to participate in Understanding of the participant and what
unscheduled events he/she thinks is being said is limited
Can afford the researcher the opportunity to Researchers experience a feeling of having
experience the real emotions and feelings of been excluded particularly at the beginning the
those being observed research process
Useful for explaining “what is going on” in a community's discomfort with having an outsider
specific culture and in particular social may compromise the “reality” of what is being
situations observed
Heightens the researcher’s awareness of Interpretations of observations are subjective
significant social processes

DeMunck, V. C., Sobo, E. J. (Eds) (1998). Using methods in the field: a practical introduction and
casebook. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Kawulich, B. (2005). Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method, Forum: Qualitative Social
Research, 6(2). 31