Qualitative target group interviews

The phenomenon of customer centricity is becoming increasingly relevant and makes it clear that the topic of target groups has become an integral part not only of marketing, but of everyday business life as a whole. But who exactly is my target group? And where do the valuable information and insights about target groups come from? If you don't actively get in touch with your target group, you are strategically poking around in the dark. The following lines are intended to explain the opportunities offered by target group interviews and provide a few tips to bear in mind when interviewing your own target group.
We set out in search of the major future tasks in the field of user experience and couldn't help but take a look at the past. What has happened in mobile UX design since Steve Jobs changed the world forever with the first iPhone in 2007? And what developments will keep UX designers on their toes in the future and require creative solutions? Please pack sturdy shoes and a good mood! It's time for an excursion into the history of UX.

But before we go into detail, I would like to give a brief introduction to the field of target group interviews and let my knowledge from my student days speak for itself: Not all target group interviews are the same. Science (and practice) distinguishes between quantitative and qualitative target group interviews.

Quantitative target group interviews: The aim here is to test existing hypotheses using mathematical methods. As much data as possible is collected, which is then analysed using statistical methods.

Quantitative target group interviews: The aim here is to gain an in-depth understanding of the target group and the complexity of consumer behaviour. To this end, individual representatives of the target group are interviewed in person. The analysis is increasingly interpretative rather than using mathematical formulae.

Which method should be chosen depends on the individual starting situation and task. This blog post will focus on qualitative target group interviews - I personally particularly enjoy using them in my day-to-day work, as they allow me to engage in direct dialogue with the target group and ask in-depth questions. However, it should also be said that conducting qualitative target group interviews requires more preparation and effort - after all, it is about personal dialogue with our test subjects.

A resounding yes! Qualitative target group interviews provide the opportunity to obtain first-hand information. If you enter into a direct exchange, you can analyse not only what is said but also non-verbal communication - how do the respondents react to the questions? What gestures and facial expressions do they use? How open and authentic is my counterpart?

In-depth interviews provide the opportunity to analyse the needs, wishes and emotions towards a product or brand in depth. And this is precisely where the advantage of qualitative interviews comes into play - because it is possible to ask questions and engage in dialogue. This makes it possible to get a ‘certain feeling’ for your own target group.

Choose the study participants carefully: Don't just talk to customers, but also non-customers - because customer does not mean target group. Perhaps you want to reach a new market segment or are not yet sufficiently utilising the current segment. It is therefore particularly exciting to talk to exactly those test subjects that you are not yet reaching. In addition, the people should be open and question topics constructively in order to receive really valuable input.

Write a short cover letter: I like to write a short cover letter in advance of the target group meetings to set out the expectations of the participants. Many people ask themselves in advance what exactly they can expect and whether they need to prepare. At this point, it is important to take away any negative feelings or fears about the interview at an early stage. I therefore like to introduce myself personally, explain briefly and concisely what will happen in the interview, how much time the person should allow and whether they need to prepare.

Create a pleasant atmosphere: A trusting atmosphere is the basis for an open and honest conversation. It is important that you focus on the answers and questions of the interviewee. Make it clear that you are taking your time for the conversation and that every piece of information is really valuable for your work. In my opinion, this point is made a little more difficult over the phone, so I always prefer to conduct the interviews in person or as a video conference - also simply because the concentration and attention breaks down earlier on the phone than in a face-to-face interview.

Preparation yes, standardisation no: A guideline for the target group interviews definitely makes sense - if only because you want to achieve a goal with the survey. Personally, I always draw up a list of questions that I would like to clarify with the help of personal interviews. In the interview itself, however, you shouldn't stick rigidly to the guidelines, but instead respond openly and flexibly to the respondent's answers in order to utilise the full potential of the qualitative target group survey.

Studies, figures and reports are all well and good, but in my opinion, authentic and valuable target group analyses are based on real and honest first-hand information. Only direct dialogue with your target group makes it possible to develop new solutions and ideas - because innovation shouldn't just look good on paper, it should deliver real added value for your target group. If you want to be one step ahead of the market, you should therefore engage in direct dialogue with the most important and relevant stakeholder group - your target group!

Disruptive technologies offer many opportunities for experimentation until a certain standard has been established. This is also the case with mobile devices. Developers have tried out many new interactions and layouts over the years to get a better understanding of when which pattern is best to use. Good examples of this are the navigation bars and the hamburger menu. Despite its low information content, the latter is used so frequently mainly because users have learnt to deal with it and expect it on practically all websites.

This stabilisation of the design means that UX designers can now fall back on proven patterns and build on them. However, this does not mean that innovation and experimentation are no longer possible. Rather, it provides a solid foundation on which further improvements and adjustments can be made to continuously optimise the user experience. The challenge is to find the right balance - preserving the familiar while exploring new approaches to best fulfil user needs.