In-depth interviews (also referred to as personal interviews) are
conducted with one respondent and one interviewer.
Process Overview
They can be conducted face-to-face or over the telephone. The length
of an in-depth interview can be as short as 15 minutes or as long
as 2 hours. In-depth interviews may be used instead of focus groups
when group interviews are difficult to schedule (e.g., high-level
executives) or the research issue is personal, emotionally charged,
or related to behaviors where social norms exist.
Advantages
More probing
Participants not
influenced by others
Disadvantages
Not conclusive
Cost per participant
greater than other qualitative methodologies
