Community Interviews: Techniques & Best Practices

Good community interviews are the foundation of quality Ground Truth data. This guide covers how to conduct interviews that reveal genuine problems and insights.

Interview Mindset

The Golden Rules

You are not selling - You’re learning
Listen 80%, talk 20% - Resist explaining your ideas
Assume nothing - Beginner’s mind approach
Respect time - 10-15 minutes is often enough
Build trust - Be genuine, not transactional

What You’re Looking For

Problems they actually experience (not hypotheticals)
Behaviors they currently do (workarounds, coping mechanisms)
Context of their daily life (constraints, priorities)
Stories not statistics (specific examples)
Surprises that challenge your assumptions

Preparation

Who to Interview

Aim for Diversity:

Different ages (youth, adults, elderly)
Different occupations (employed, self-employed, unemployed, students)
Different economic levels (low, middle, high income)
Different neighborhoods (various parts of Lagos)
Different genders

Target: Minimum 10-15 people

Where to Find People

Good Locations:

Markets (traders, customers)
Transport hubs (commuters, drivers)
Community centers
Religious gathering places
Parks and public spaces
Schools (with permission)
Workplace common areas

Tip: Go where your target audience naturally gathers.

Interview Guide Preparation

Create a Question List (but stay flexible):

Opening questions (build rapport)
Background questions (understand context)
Problem discovery questions (find pain points)
Deep-dive questions (understand root causes)
Closing questions (anything we missed?)

Download Interview Template →

Conducting the Interview

Step 1: Introduction (1-2 minutes)

Introduce Yourself:

“Hi, I’m [name]. I’m participating in a community program where we’re learning about challenges people face in [neighborhood/area]. Would you have 10 minutes to talk?”

Build Rapport:

Be friendly, not formal
Show genuine interest
Explain purpose honestly
Ask permission to record

Step 2: Background (2-3 minutes)

Understand Their Context:

“Tell me about your typical day”
“How long have you lived/worked here?”
“What do you do for work?”

Purpose: Understand their world before diving into problems.

Step 3: Problem Discovery (5-7 minutes)

Ask Open-Ended Questions:

✅ Good Questions:

“What are the biggest challenges you face in your daily routine?”
“Tell me about a time when [problem area] caused you difficulty”
“How do you currently deal with [problem]?”
“What’s frustrating about [situation]?”
“Walk me through what happened the last time…”

❌ Bad Questions:

“Would you use an app for [solution]?” (leading)
“Don’t you think [problem] is important?” (confirmation bias)
“Which is worse, A or B?” (false choice)

Follow-Up Technique: “The 5 Whys”

When someone mentions a problem, ask “why” repeatedly:

Example:

You: “What challenges do you face at the market?”
Them: “Waste piles up near my stall”
You: “Why does that happen?”
Them: “No regular pickup”
You: “Why no regular pickup?”
Them: “Government collectors don’t come to this section”
You: “Why not?”
Them: “They say it’s too crowded for trucks”
You: “What have you tried to solve this?”
Them: “We hired private collectors once but couldn’t coordinate payment”

Now you have root causes: access, coordination, payment logistics.

Step 4: Understanding Current Solutions (2-3 minutes)

Ask About Workarounds:

“How do you currently handle this problem?”
“What have you tried before?”
“Why did/didn’t that work?”
“What would make [current solution] better?”

Purpose: Understand what they’ve already attempted. New solutions must be better than current workarounds.

Step 5: Closing (1 minute)

Wrap Up:

“Is there anything important I didn’t ask about?”
“Do you know others who face similar challenges?”
“Can I follow up if I have more questions?”
“Thank you for your time!”

Interview Techniques

Active Listening

Do: ✅ Make eye contact
✅ Nod and show engagement
✅ Pause after they finish (let silence work)
✅ Reflect back: “So what I’m hearing is…”
✅ Take notes while they talk

Don’t: ❌ Interrupt
❌ Check phone
❌ Finish their sentences
❌ Immediately jump to next question
❌ React judgmentally

Probing Questions

When answers are vague or surface-level:

“Can you give me a specific example?”
“Tell me more about that”
“What do you mean by [term they used]?”
“How often does that happen?”
“How does that make you feel?”

Handling Difficult Situations

If They Give Short Answers:

Ask for stories: “Tell me about the last time…”
Ask about others: “What do people around here say?”
Be more specific: “When you wake up tomorrow, what’s the first challenge?”

If They Want to Sell You Something:

Politely decline
Redirect: “I’m here to learn, not buy today”
Move on if they persist

If They’re Suspicious:

Be transparent about purpose
Show student/participant ID if you have one
Offer to skip questions they’re uncomfortable with
Thank them and move to someone else if needed

If They Start Solving Your Problem:

Thank them for ideas
Redirect: “Before solutions, I want to understand the problem better”
Ask: “Why do you think that would work?”

After the Interview

Immediate Actions (Within 30 minutes)

Review voice note - Ensure it recorded properly
Expand notes - Add details you remember
Capture quotes - Write exact phrases while fresh
Note observations - Body language, environment, tone
Backup file - Upload to cloud storage

Interview Summary

Create a summary for each interview:

Template:


## Interview #X: [Role/Profile]
 
**Date:** Nov 8, 2024  
**Location:** Yaba Market  
**Duration:** 12 minutes  
**Voice Note:** [link]
 
### Interviewee Profile
- Role: Market trader (clothing)
- Age: ~32
- Years in area: 8 years
 
### Key Problems Mentioned
1. Waste accumulation near stall
2. Time spent cleaning (30 min daily)
3. Storage cost impact on prices
 
### Notable Quotes
> "Every morning I have to clear garbage before I can set up. Sometimes customers think we're dirty, but it's not our fault."
 
### Observations
- Visibly frustrated when discussing waste
- Showed me overflowing bin 20 meters away
- Mentioned other traders feel same way
 
### Follow-up Questions
- How much would traders pay for reliable collection?
- Who coordinates current cleanup efforts?

Quality Checklist

Before moving forward, ensure:

✅ 10-15 interviews completed
✅ Diverse interviewee profiles
✅ Open-ended questions used
✅ Specific stories/examples collected
✅ Root causes probed (not just surface problems)
✅ Current solutions/workarounds documented
✅ Voice notes recorded and backed up
✅ Interview summaries written
✅ Patterns beginning to emerge

Common Mistakes

❌ Confirmation Bias

Problem: Only hearing what confirms your existing idea

Fix: Actively look for disconfirming evidence, interview people who might disagree

❌ Leading Questions

Problem: “Don’t you think waste management is a problem?”

Fix: “What challenges do you face in your daily routine?”

❌ Solution Mode Too Early

Problem: Explaining your app idea during research phase

Fix: Save solution discussions for after all interviews

❌ Homogenous Sample

Problem: Only interviewing fellow students or same demographic

Fix: Deliberately seek diversity in age, occupation, location

❌ Surface-Level Answers

Problem: Accepting first answer without probing

Fix: Use “5 Whys” technique, ask for specific examples

Ethics & Respect

Do:

✅ Get informed consent before recording
✅ Protect privacy (anonymize names in documentation)
✅ Respect “no” answers (don’t pressure)
✅ Be punctual if you schedule meeting
✅ Compensate time if appropriate (small token of appreciation)

Don’t:

❌ Record without permission
❌ Make promises you can’t keep
❌ Take photos without consent
❌ Share identifying information publicly
❌ Exploit vulnerability

Resources

Remember: Great interviews feel like conversations, not interrogations. Show genuine curiosity about people’s lives and they’ll share real insights.