1. Chapter 5
Interviewing
Systems Analysis and Design
Kendall and Kendall
Fifth Edition

2. Major Topics
 Question format
 Interviewing techniques
 Recording the interview
 Joint Application Design (JAD)
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Kendall
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3. Interviewing
 Interviewing is an important method for
collecting data on information system
requirements
 Interviews reveal information about
 Interviewee opinions
 Interviewee feelings
 About the current state of the system
 Organizational and personal goals
 Informal procedures
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4. Planning the Interview
 Five steps in planning the interview are
 Reading background material
 Establishing interview objectives
 Deciding whom to interview
 Preparing the interviewee
 Deciding on question types and structure
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5. Question Types
 There are two basic types of interview
questions:
 Open-ended
 Closed
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6. Open-Ended Questions
 Open-ended interview questions allow
interviewees to respond how they wish,
and to what length they wish
 Open-ended questions are appropriate
when the analyst is interested in breadth
and depth of reply
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Kendall
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7. Advantages of Open-Ended
Questions
 Eight benefits of open-ended questions
 Putting the interviewee at ease
 Allowing the interviewer to pick up on the
interviewee's vocabulary
 Reflect education, values, attitudes, and beliefs
 Providing richness of detail
 Revealing avenues of further questioning
that may have gone untapped
 (continued)
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8. Advantages of Open-Ended
Questions
 Benefits of open-ended questions
(continued)
 More interesting for the interviewee
 Allows more spontaneity
 Makes phrasing easier for the interviewer
 Useful if the interviewer is unprepared
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9. Disadvantages of Open-Ended
Questions
 The five drawbacks include
 May result in too much irrelevant detail
 Possibly losing control of the interview
 May take too much time for the amount of
useful information gained
 Potentially seeming that the interviewer is
unprepared
 Possibly giving the impression that the
interviewer is on a "fishing expedition”
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Kendall
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10. Closed Interview Questions
 Closed interview questions limit the
number of possible responses
 Closed interview questions are
appropriate for generating precise,
reliable data which is easy to analyze
 The methodology is efficient, and it
requires little skill for interviewers to
administer
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Kendall
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11. Benefits of Closed Interview
Questions
 Six benefits are
 Saving interview time
 Easily comparing interviews
 Getting to the point
 Keeping control of the interview
 Covering a large area quickly
 Getting to relevant data
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12. Disadvantages of Closed
Interview Questions
 Four drawbacks of closed interview
questions include
 Boring for the interviewee
 Failure to obtain rich detail
 Missing main ideas
 Failing to build rapport between interviewer
and interviewee
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13. Bipolar Questions and Probes
 Bipolar questions are those that may be
answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘agree’
or ‘disagree’
 Bipolar questions should be used
sparingly
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14. Probing Questions
 Probing questions elicit more detail
about previous questions
 The purpose of probing questions is
 To get more meaning
 To clarify
 To draw out and expand on the
interviewee's point
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Kendall
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15. Question Pitfalls
 Avoid leading questions, those that
imply an answer
 Leading questions tend to guide
interviewees into responses apparently
desired by the interviewer
 These questions should be avoided to
reduce bias and improve reliability and
validity
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Kendall
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16. Question Pitfalls
 Avoid double-barreled questions,
asking two questions at once
 These questions should be avoided
because interviewees may answer only
one question, leading to difficulties in
interpretation
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Kendall
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17. Question Sequencing
 There are three basic ways of
structuring interviews:
 Pyramid, starting with closed questions
and working toward open-ended questions
 Funnel, starting with open-ended questions
and working toward closed questions
 Diamond, starting with closed, moving
toward open-ended, and ending with
closed questions
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Kendall
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18. Pyramid Structure
 Begins with very detailed, often closed
questions
 Expands by allowing open-ended
questions and more generalized
responses
 Is useful if interviewees need to be
warmed up to the topic or seem
reluctant to address the topic
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Kendall
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19. Funnel Structure
 Begins with generalized, open-ended
questions
 Concludes by narrowing the possible
responses using closed questions
 Provides an easy, nonthreatening way
to begin an interview
 Is useful when the interviewee feels
emotionally about the topic
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Kendall
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20. Diamond Structure
 A diamond-shaped structure begins in a
very specific way
 Then more general issues are
examined
 Concludes with specific questions
 Is useful in keeping the interviewee's
interest and attention through a variety
of questions
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Kendall
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21. Structured and Unstructured
Interviews
 A completely structured interview is
planned and the plan is strictly followed
 Closed questions are the basis of
structured interviews
 An unstructured interview is
conversational
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Kendall
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22. Ten Tradeoffs: Structured and
Unstructured Interviews
 Evaluation
 Amount of time
required
 Training required
 Spontaneity allowed
 Reliability
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 Flexibility
 Interviewee insight
provided
 Interviewer control
 Precision
 Breadth and depth
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23. Recording the Interview
 Interviews can be recorded with tape
recorders or notes
 Audio recording should be done with
permission and understanding
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24. Advantages of Audio
Recording the Interview
 The four advantages are
 Providing a completely accurate record of
what each person said
 Freeing the interviewer to listen and
respond more rapidly
 Allowing better eye contact and better
rapport
 Allowing replay of the interview for other
team members
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Kendall
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25. Disadvantages of Audio
Recording the Interview
 The four disadvantages are
 Possibly making the interviewee nervous
and less apt to respond freely
 Possibly making the interviewer less apt to
listen since it is all being recorded
 Difficulty in locating important passages on
a long tape
 Increasing costs of data gathering
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Kendall
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26. Advantages of Note Taking
During Interviews
 Keeping the interviewer alert
 Aiding recall of important questions
 Helping recall of important interview
trends
 Showing interviewer interest in the
interview
 Demonstrating the interviewer's
preparedness
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Kendall
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27. Disadvantages of Note Taking
During Interviews
 Losing vital eye contact
 Losing the train of conversation
 Making the interviewee hesitant to
speak when notes are being made
 Causing excessive attention to facts
and too little attention to feelings and
opinions
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Kendall
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28. Before the Interview
 Contact the interviewee and confirm the
interview
 Dress appropriately
 Arrive a little early
 Affirm that you are present and ready to
begin the interview
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Kendall
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29. Beginning the Interview
 Shake hands
 Remind them of your name and why
you are there
 Take out note pad, tape recorder
 Make sure tape recorder is working
correctly
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Kendall
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30. Opening Questions
 Start with pleasant conversation, open-ended
 Listen closely to early responses
 Look for metaphors
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Kendall
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31. During the Interview
 The interview should not exceed 45
minutes to one hour
 Make sure that you are understanding
what the interviewee is telling you
 Ask for definitions if needed
 Use probing questions
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Kendall
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32. Closing the Interview
 Always ask “Is there anything else that
you would like to add?”
 Summarize and provide feedback on
your impressions
 Ask whom you should talk with next
 Set up any future appointments
 Thank them for their time and shake
hands
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33. Interview Report
 Write as soon as possible after the
interview
 Provide an initial summary, then more
detail
 Review the report with the respondent
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Kendall
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34. Joint Application Design (JAD)
 Joint Application Design (JAD) can
replace a series of interviews with the
user community
 JAD is a technique that allows the
analyst to accomplish requirements
analysis and design the user interface
with the users in a group setting
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Kendall
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35. When to Use JAD
 JAD may be used when
 Users are restless and want something
new
 The organizational culture supports joint
problem-solving behaviors
 Analysts forecast an increase in the
number of ideas using JAD
 Personnel may be absent from their jobs
for the length of time required
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36. JAD Personnel
 JAD involves
 Analysts
 Users
 Executives
 Observers
 A scribe
 A session leader
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Kendall
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37. Benefits of JAD
 The potential benefits of using JAD are
 Time is saved, compared with traditional
interviewing
 Rapid development of systems
 Improved user ownership of the system
 Creative idea production is improved
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Kendall
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38. Drawbacks of Using JAD
 Potential drawbacks of using JAD are
 JAD requires a large block of time be
available for all session participants
 If preparation is incomplete, the session
may not go very well
 If the follow-up report is incomplete, the
session may not be successful
 The organizational skills and culture may
not be conducive to a JAD session
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Kendall
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