1996, Number 2

CONDUCTING KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS

TIPSPerformance Monitoring and Evaluation

USAID Center for Development Information and Evaluation

What Are Key Informant Interviews?

They are qualitative, in-depth interviews of 15 to 35 people selectedfor their first-hand knowledge about a topic of interst. The inter-views are loosely structured, relying on a list of issues to be dis-cussed. Key informant interviews resemble a conversation amongacquaintances, allowing a free flow of ideas and information. Inter-viewers frame questions spontaneously, probe for information andtakes notes, which are elaborated on later.

When Are Key Informant Interviews Appropriate?

This method is useful in all phases of development activities—identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation. For ex-ample, it can provide information on the setting for a planned activ-ity that might influence project design. Or, it could reveal whyintended beneficiaries aren’t using services offered by a project.

Specifically, it is useful in the following situations:

1. When qualitative, descriptive information is sufficient for deci-sion-making.

2. When there is a need to understand motivation, behavior, andperspectives of our customers and partners. In-depth interviewsof program planners and managers, service providers, hostgovernment officials, and beneficiaries concerning their attitudesand behaviors about a USAID activity can help explain itssuccesses and shortcomings.

3. When a main purpose is to generate recommendations. Keyinformants can help formulate recommendations that can im-prove a program’s performance.

4. When quantitative data collected through other methods need tobe interpreted. Key informant interviews can provide the howand why of what happened. If, for example, a sample surveyshowed farmers were failing to make loan repayments, keyinformant interviews could uncover the reasons.

USAID reengineeringemphasizes listeningto and consultingwith customers, part-ners and other stake-holders as we under-take developmentactivities.

Rapid appraisal tech-niques offer system-atic ways of gettingsuch informationquickly and at lowcost. This Tips ad-vises how to conductone such method—key informant inter-views.

PN-ABS-541

25. When preliminary information is needed to

design a comprehensive quantitative study.Key informant interviews can help frame theissues before the survey is undertaken.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages of key informant interviews include:

• they provide information directly fromknowledgeable people

• they provide flexibility to explore new ideasand issues not anticipated during planning

• they are inexpensive and simple to conduct

Some disadvantages:

• they are not appropriate if quantitative data areneeded

• they may be biased if informants are notcarefully selected

• they are susceptible to interviewer biases

• it may be difficult to prove validity offindings

Once the decision has been made to conduct keyinformant interviews, following the step-by-stepadvice outlined below will help ensure high-quality information.

Steps in Conducting the Interviews

Step 1. Formulate study questions.

These relate to specific concerns of the study.Study questions generally should be limited to fiveor fewer.

Step 2. Prepare a short interview guide.

Key informant interviews do not use rigid ques-tionnaires, which inhibit free discussion. However,interviewers must have an idea of what questionsto ask. The guide should list major topics andissues to be covered under each study question.

Because the purpose is to explore a few issues indepth, guides are usually limited to 12 items.Different guides may be necessary for interview-ing different groups of informants.

Step 3. Select key informants.

The number should not normally exceed 35. It ispreferable to start with fewer (say, 25), since oftenmore people end up being interviewed than isinitially planned.

Key informants should be selected for their spe-cialized knowledge and unique perspectives on atopic. Planners should take care to select infor-mants with various points of view.

Selection consists of two tasks: First, identify thegroups and organizations from which key infor-mants should be drawn—for example, host gov-ernment agencies, project implementing agencies,contractors, beneficiaries. It is best to include allmajor stakeholders so that divergent interests andperceptions can be captured.

Second, select a few people from each categoryafter consulting with people familiar with thegroups under consideration. In addition, eachinformant may be asked to suggest other peoplewho may be interviewed.

Step 4. Conduct interviews.

Establish rapport. Begin with an explanation ofthe purpose of the interview, the intended uses ofthe information and assurances of confidentiality.Often informants will want assurances that theinterview has been approved by relevant officials.Except when interviewing technical experts,questioners should avoid jargon.

Sequence questions. Start with factual questions.Questions requiring opinions and judgmentsshould follow. In general, begin with the presentand move to questions about the past or future.

Phrase questions carefully to elicit detailed infor-mation. Avoid questions that can be answered by asimple yes or no. For example, questions such as“Please tell me about the vaccination campaign?”are better than “Do you know about the vaccina-tion campaign?”

Use probing techniques. Encourage informants todetail the basis for their conclusions and recom-mendations. For example, an informant’s com-ment, such as “The water program has reallychanged things around here,” can be probed formore details, such as “What changes have younoticed?” “Who seems to have benefitted most?”“Can you give me some specific examples?”

3Maintain a neutral attitude. Interviewers should besympathetic listeners and avoid giving the impres-sion of having strong views on the subject underdiscussion. Neutrality is essential because someinformants, trying to be polite, will say what theythink the interviewer wants to hear.

Minimize translation difficulties. Sometimes it isnecessary to use a translator, which can change thedynamics and add difficulties. For example,differences in status between the translator andinformant may inhibit the conversation. Ofteninformation is lost during translation. Difficultiescan be minimized by using translators who are notknown to the informants, briefing translators onthe purposes of the study to reduce misunderstand-ings, and having translators repeat the informant’scomments verbatim.

Step 5. Take adequate notes.

Interviewers should take notes and develop themin detail immediately after each interview toensure accuracy. Use a set of common subheadingsfor interview texts, selected with an eye to themajor issues being explored. Common subhead-ings ease data analysis.

Step 6. Analyze interview data.

Interview summary sheets. At the end of eachinterview, prepare a 1-2 page interview summarysheet reducing information into manageablethemes, issues, and recommendations. Eachsummary should provide information about thekey informant’s position, reason for inclusion inthe list of informants, main points made, implica-tions of these observations, and any insights orideas the interviewer had during the interview.

Descriptive codes. Coding involves a systematicrecording of data. While numeric codes are notappropriate, descriptive codes can help organizeresponses. These codes may cover key themes,concepts, questions, or ideas, such assustainability, impact on income, and participationof women. A usual practice is to note the codes orcategories on the left-hand margins of the inter-view text. Then a summary lists the page numberswhere each item (code) appears. For example,women’s participation might be given the code“wom–par,” and the summary sheet might indicateit is discussed on pages 7, 13, 21, 46, and 67 of theinterview text.

Categories and subcategories for coding (based onkey study questions, hypotheses, or conceptualframeworks) can be developed before interviewsbegin, or after the interviews are completed.Precoding saves time, but the categories may notbe appropriate. Postcoding helps ensure empiri-cally relevant categories, but is time consuming. Acompromise is to begin developing coding catego-ries after 8 to 10 interviews, as it becomes appar-ent which categories are relevant.

Storage and retrieval. The next step is to develop asimple storage and retrieval system. Access to acomputer program that sorts text is very helpful.Relevant parts of interview text can then be orga-nized according to the codes. The same effect canbe accomplished without computers by preparingfolders for each category, cutting relevant com-ments from the interview and pasting them ontoindex cards according to the coding scheme, thenfiling them in the appropriate folder. Each indexcard should have an identification mark so thecomment can be attributed to its source.

Presentation of data. Visual displays such astables, boxes, and figures can condense informa-tion, present it in a clear format, and highlightunderlying relationships and trends. This helpscommunicate findings to decision-makers moreclearly, quickly, and easily. Three examples belowand on page 4 illustrate how data from key infor-mant interviews might be displayed.

Table 1. Problems Encountered inObtaining Credit

Female Farmers

1. Collateralrequirements

2. Burdensomepaperwork

3. Long delays ingetting loans

4. Land registered undermale's name

5. Difficulty getting tobank location

Male Farmers

1. Collateralrequirements

2. Burdensomepaperwork

3. Long delays ingetting loans

4

Washington, D.C. 20523U.S. Agency for International Development

Step 7. Check for reliability and validity.

Key informant interviews are susceptible to error,bias, and misinterpretation, which can lead toflawed findings and recommendations.

Check representativeness of key informants. Takea second look at the key informant list to ensure nosignificant groups were overlooked.

For further information on this topic, contact AnnetteBinnendijk, CDIE Senior Evaluation Advisor, viaphone (703) 875-4235), fax (703) 875-4866), or e-mail.Copies of TIPS can be ordered from the DevelopmentInformation Services Clearinghouse by calling (703)351-4006 or by faxing (703) 351-4039. Please refer tothe PN number. To order via the Internet, address arequest to docorder@disc.mhs.compuserve.com

Table 3. Recommendations forImproving Training

RecommendationNumber ofInformants

20

Develop need-based training courses

Develop more objective selection procedures

Plan job placement after training

39

11

Table 2. Impacts on Income of aMicroenterprise Activity

“In a survey I did of the participants last year, Ifound that a majority felt their living condi-tions have improved.”

—university professor

“I have doubled my crop and profits this yearas a result of the loan I got.”

—participant

“I believe that women have not benefitted asmuch as men because it is more difficult for usto get loans.”

—female participant

Assess reliability of key informants. Assess infor-mants’ knowledgeability, credibility, impartiality,willingness to respond, and presence of outsiderswho may have inhibited their responses. Greaterweight can be given to information provided bymore reliable informants.

Check interviewer or investigator bias. One’s ownbiases as an investigator should be examined,including tendencies to concentrate on informationthat confirms preconceived notions and hypoth-eses, seek consistency too early and overlookevidence inconsistent with earlier findings, and bepartial to the opinions of elite key informants.

Check for negative evidence. Make a consciouseffort to look for evidence that questions prelimi-nary findings. This brings out issues that may havebeen overlooked.

Get feedback from informants. Ask the key infor-mants for feedback on major findings. A summaryreport of the findings might be shared with them,along with a request for written comments. Often amore practical approach is to invite them to ameeting where key findings are presented and askfor their feedback.

Selected Further Reading

These tips are drawn from Conducting Key Infor-mant Interviews in Developing Countries, byKrishna Kumar (AID Program Design and Evalua-tion Methodology Report No. 13. December 1986.PN-AAX-226).