List and explain the four interviewing techniques mentioned in the text for learning about users and their jobs. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The four interviewing techniques are “think aloud,” “talk right after,” “role playing,” and “cueing recall with video tape.” “Thinking aloud” involves encouraging users to sustain a commentary on what they are doing and why they are doing it. In the “talk right after” approach, interviewers ask users about a task immediately after the task is complete. In the “role playing” approach, a person or the interviewer plays the role of a person interacting with a user. In “cueing recall with video tape,” the interviewer sets up a video camera to record the user at work. During a later interview the interviewer shows selected highlights from the tape to the user to help jog the user’s memory. The interviewer then asks questions to determine what the user was doing and why.
In terms of gaining insights into users and their work, “think aloud” is the best technique, but it does have the disadvantage of being intrusive. Sometimes a user cannot engage in commentary while completing a task. Examples of this include those situations where the user is working with the public or where life-critical or time-critical tasks are involved. In this case, “talk right after” is the best approach.
“Role playing” is best used only in those situations where the interviewer cannot observe a task first-hand. “Cueing recall with videotape” is for those situations where the users do not want an interviewer in the work environment while the work is taking place.