In-depth interviews (IDIs), in which a moderator interviews a single respondent, can be essential for exploring sensitive topics or accessing hard-to-reach demographic data, whether face-to-face, online or by telephone.

It can also be useful to conduct IDIs instead of or in addition to focus groups when you want to obtain a lot of detailed information from each respondent, or when you want to explore differences in opinion between many different types of respondent. IDIs are often used in B2B and healthcare market research to gather very specific and detailed information from respondents who are experts in their field. A small number of IDIs with the right respondents can produce interesting results very quickly.

Interviewees are generally more comfortable and talkative when talking to just one person in the room, especially when dealing with sensitive subjects. It’s also easier to delve deeper into personal topics or ask follow-up questions that weren’t initially included in the discussion guide.

We can record IDIs and provide simultaneous translation for foreign-language interviews. We can also analyze and report on interviews to extract key information.

Online and telephone interviews are generally the most cost-effective and convenient, and make it easier to obtain information from participants living in different locations, but complex or sensitive issues can be explored more easily face-to-face.