Interview

Apr 19

Understand

Talk with people.

The interviewer asks the doctor to describe, in her own words, how she typically sees a patient from the moment they arrive at her office to the end of the visit, then follows up by asking what usually takes the most time, what tends to go wrong, and how she decides what to do next in complex cases. The interview ends by asking what she would change about the process if she had one wish.

Steps

Create an interview guide with the key topics and questions you want to cover. Start with broad questions, then gradually move into more specific details. Plan questions that help uncover the interviewee’s full story, their hopes, fears, and motivations. Use the guide as a reference, not a script, and stay flexible so you can follow important or unexpected topics that come up during the conversation.
Use open questions such as “who,” “what,” “when,” “why,” and “how,” and avoid yes or no questions. Make sure the questions allow the participant to explain their behavior and opinions in their own words. Ask for concrete examples to avoid generic answers, for example by asking, “When was the last time you…?” Go deeper by asking follow-up questions like “What does this mean to you?” or “Why did you do that?” Speak in the participant’s language, avoid technical terms, and remember that the interviewee is the expert on their own life.
End the interview with open, reflective questions that encourage imagination and deeper insight, such as asking what would happen if the participant could make one wish.