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In-depth Interviews

Lady interviewing someone Like focus groups, in-depth interviews explore the nuances of what people think, feel, and experience and therefore place a premium on interviewing skills. Macro’s interviewers are trained in establishing rapport—discretely probing and prompting without influencing respondent answers.

Three typical types of in-depth interviews are:

Ethnography—In ethnographic interviews, respondents are encouraged to provide detailed explanations of their experiences, feeling, and beliefs. The interviewer functions as a guide who allows the discussion to cover topics that the respondent deems important. Macro uses ethnographic techniques to investigate topics through the language and experiences of the respondent.
Cognitive Testing—Cognitive testing is a structured interview that probes for people’s understanding of certain concepts and terms.
Executive Interviewing—Executive interviewing is a specialized form of in-depth interviewing. It focuses on busy, hard-to-reach professionals and officials. Macro has been successful in this niche through our ability to locate these individuals and to secure their cooperation. Our interviewing team combines the seasoned and professional demeanor to put executives at ease.

To provide control over interviewing conditions and to allow observation and videotaping, we usually have participants come to a central location. Interviews also can be conducted by telephone or at an individual’s place of business. In either case, the interview can be monitored and typically is recorded to assist in analyzing the results. With emphasis on interpretation, examples, and compelling quotes, our analysis and reporting of in-depth interviews are similar to what we do with focus group results.

Community Screening and Early Detection of Breast Cancer
Macro examined the potential for alliances between managed care organizations (MCOs) and the national network of breast and cervical cancer programs. The aim of such partnerships is to increase the number of older women and women from special populations who seek mammography and re-screening. Through in-depth interviews in 23 State programs, we documented the strategies that grantees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program found most successful in recruiting hard-to-reach women. We also identified ways for MCOs and grantees to work together on screening recruitment.

Consumer Products Research
Macro conducted market research for a multinational consumer products company in Central and Eastern Europe. Products included infant and childcare products, food, cosmetics, fragrances, and personal care items. To assess consumers' reactions to advertising regarding these products, we conducted a series of tests using in-depth interviews. In each test, respondents viewed a reel of five advertisements, the second of which was the ad being tested. After the viewing, respondents viewed the first two ads again and were asked detailed questions about the message, content, and image being projected. We performed these tests periodically to assess changes in consumer reactions; as the advertising concepts were continually refined, the impact of these changes could be measured against previous ads. For some products, Macro provided samples to consumers to use in their homes. The in-home trials were followed by interviews with the participants to assess aspects of the product's performance such as taste or ease of use, or to evaluate possible variations of a product.

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