Research Guide: Conducting Qualitative Interviews

Qualitative interviews are one of the most powerful tools for understanding why people behave the way they do. The following guide covers the four core steps of an interview-based research project.

Step 1: Build a Causal Model

Before interviewing anyone, you should have a research question: and a working hypothesis about the causal relationships involved. For example: "What factors cause developers to disengage from Protocol X after their first 90 days?" Your causal model identifies the key variables and their hypothesized relationships. This shapes who you interview and what you ask.

Step 2: Select People to Interview

Based on your research question, decide how to sample your population. In qualitative research, the goal is not statistical representativeness but theoretical coverage: you want to include people whose experiences illuminate different aspects of your question. Common sampling strategies include purposive sampling (selecting people who fit specific criteria) and snowball sampling (asking interviewees to refer others).

Step 3: Create an Interview Schedule

When planning an interview, your goal is to create a safe, comfortable space where the subject can speak freely. Questions should be open-ended, non-leading, and sequenced to build rapport before moving into sensitive territory.

The following is a heavily modified and anonymized interview schedule used in a past project:

Sample Schedule: Understanding Developer Retention in Protocol X

Introduction / Informed Consent (5 min)

• ·Explain who you are and your background.
• ·Explain the purpose: understanding and improving the experience of being a developer in Protocol X.
• ·Note that the study is especially interested in roadblocks for people with different skill sets and backgrounds.
• ·Explain recording and transcription, and your commitment to confidentiality and anonymization.
• ·Expected duration: ~30 minutes, with 45 minutes scheduled as buffer.
• ·Ask if they have any questions before beginning.

Initial Information (5–10 min)

• ·What led you into crypto development work? What is your general background?
• ·What is your programming experience? What skill sets do you bring to a project?
• ·How did you find Protocol X? Why did you join?
• ·What was the recruitment process like?

General Experience (15–20 min)

• ·Can you describe what your first few weeks were like here?
• ·How did you find the process of finding projects and work within Protocol X?
• ·What projects are you currently involved with, or have been involved with?
• ·What has your work environment been like in these projects: what has been good, and what has been difficult?
• ·Do you feel you have been compensated fairly?
• ·If you had complete control over the development process inside Protocol X, what would you change?
• ·Is there anything else you think Protocol X should know?

Step 4: Conduct and Record the Interview

Arrive early and do not schedule interviews back-to-back: allow buffer time in case sessions run long or you need time to make notes immediately afterward. Record with consent. Transcribe as soon as possible after the session while your memory of tone, context, and pauses is still fresh.

Note: the interview schedule above only plans for two-thirds of the allotted time. This is intentional: it leaves space for the subject to give longer answers, follow interesting tangents, and raise topics you had not anticipated. The best insights often come from what you did not plan to ask.