When is a face-to-face interview good practice in research?

Face-to-face research is a useful tool to incorporate into your research as it gives you additional anecdotal evidence into opinions. However, it does depend on the size of your sample; it is clearly unrealistic to individually interview 5000 people face-to-face.

If you are looking to find out the specific views of a select group of respondents, then face-to-face interviewing is a more intimate way to gather useful responses. If can be specifically beneficial when it comes to interviewing board level respondents. Having a specific time booked into their diary will allow you to have their full attention. Meaning you can gain detailed responses and ensure that you get maximum value from the amount of time undertaking the interview.

Face-to-face research adds another layer of qualitative results as you tend to be able to discuss a topic in far more detail than over the telephone or internet. This provides the opportunity for topics and opinions to stray into new territory and whilst it is important to maintain a modicum of control, it is often highly beneficial to your research.

The final benefit of face-to-face research is that you can allow participants to see physical or visual materials, rather than requiring them to source the content online.

At Arlington Research we are highly experienced in conducting face-to-face interviews and would always encourage them for clients that have a small sample size.