Writing effective market research questions is an important part of qualitative interviewing. This free classroom activity helps participants identify common mistakes in interview questions, discuss why they matter, and practise improving them using realistic examples.
When to Use This Free Activity
This FREE to use activity is particularly useful if you are providing training that is based on the following topics:
- Market research skills
- Qualitative research skills
- Business skills
- Interview techniques and skills
Length of Task
You can lengthen or shorten this activity based on your time constraints, but we suggest making this a 30-minute group activity.
Starting the Group Activity
1. Ask your participants to work in pairs or in groups of up to 4 people.
2. Hand each pair or group a printed version of the ‘Constructing-questions’ handout.
>> You can download it for FREE here to print off!
3. Ask participants to assess if there are mistakes in the way the questions are formulated and to discuss how they would improve each question.
*Note that the 10 interview questions are intentionally badly constructed.
4. Give participants 10 to 15 minutes to do this, and then start a discussion with the whole class to share their ideas.
5. Use the detailed information and breakdown below that we provide to explain to the class what was wrong with each question and the correct way to improve these questions.
The Activity Outcome and Learning from Examples
Below, you can find a description of the issues with each question.
Question 1. What is wrong with the way young customer service advisors deal with customers, and what can we do about it?
The use of the word ‘wrong’ is judgmental, and it leads to making an assumption. Also, singling out ‘young’ customer service advisors suggests that there is something inherently wrong with that particular group of advisors.
The question is also ambiguous, as it is not clear what the interviewer wants to find out with this question.
Finally, this is two questions in one.
To improve the question, it should be reworded to find out first if the interviewee has an opinion about how customer service advisors deal with customers.
For example: ‘How do you think customer service advisors deal with customers?’
The interviewee will then tell you if they think they deal with customers well or not, and if young advisors or any other category of advisors are worse (if there is anyone better or worse than others).
Also, the question should be split.
So, after the way in which advisors deal with customers is dealt with and any problems are identified, you can ask what can be done about it.
Question 2. How often do you go out walking?
This depends on the context.
This question is ok if the interview is specifically about people’s walking habits or if the interviewee has previously told you that s/he goes walking.
If, however, the interview is about, for example, people’s lifestyle and walking have not been mentioned so far, then this question could contain ‘prestige bias’ as it may imply that it is the right thing to do for people to go out walking, and the interviewee may be tempted to give a socially desirable answer.
If you want to find out about their exercise habits, you could ask first what they like to do in their spare time, and, depending on their answers, you will delve deeper.
Question 3. What do you think can be done about global warming?
This question assumes that the interviewee knows enough about global warming to have an opinion on what can be done about it.
A question like this, asked out of the blue, can be either intimidating or puzzling.
Ask other questions first, to find out if the interviewee has an opinion on what can be done about global warming and if they think that something can be done at all.
Question 4. Many medical professionals agree that eating too much salt is bad for people’s health. Do you agree?
This question is leading, and it is a closed question that requires a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Also, it contains ‘prestige bias’ because it mentions medical professionals. So, the interviewee is inclined to answer ‘yes’ because they may not want to contradict what the experts say.
Make the question open, remove the reference to medical professionals, and ask other questions beforehand to investigate the interviewee’s attitude towards salt in the diet.
Question 5. Do you agree that staff should not have to attend meetings that they are not interested in?
This is a closed question, which is best kept to a minimum in qualitative interviews.
Also, there are too many negatives (‘should not have’, ‘are not interested’), and using too many negatives in a sentence can be confusing.
Finally, the expression ‘do you agree’ makes it a leading question, which implies that the interviewee should agree with you.
You could ask instead something like: “What do you think of the requirement on staff to attend meetings?’
Question 6 – Has your child ever stolen anything? If so, what and when?
This depends on the situation. If it is a follow-up question and you have already established rapport with the interviewee, they trust you, they know that their anonymity is guaranteed, and you have already discussed their concern regarding their child’s criminal activities, it can be ok to ask such a question, but it may need rewording.
You need to ask it in a sensitive and non-judgmental way. For example: ‘Were you ever worried that your child might have stolen something?’
If they say yes, ask probing questions to find out more about the situation.
Question 7 – What do you think about the government’s attempt to blackmail businesses?
This is a very leading question. In particular, the word ‘blackmail’ has very emotional connotations, and it implies that the government is acting unethically towards businesses.
Whoever asks a question in such a way has a clear political agenda, and their research should not be trusted.
It is, of course, ok for researchers to have opinions, but the impact of their opinions should be minimized, and, at the very least, they should avoid asking leading questions; otherwise, the findings would not be believable.
Question 8 – How much money do you think the average marketing department wastes every year?
This is another leading and judgmental question.
The interviewee may not know the figures. Also, what is an ‘average’ marketing department, and how do we know that they ‘waste’ money?
If the researcher wants to find out how a marketing department uses its budget, maybe a better way would be to use observations.
Or, if they are interviewing an expert, they can ask something along the lines of: ‘How is the budget of the marketing department allocated between its expenditures?’
Question 9 – How much do you earn?
Firstly, this question is too vague. Is the interviewer referring to gross or net earnings? Do they want to know annual, monthly, or weekly earnings? Do they want to know household or personal earnings?
Secondly, the question is very personal and not everybody might want to answer. This depends on the situation.
Question 10 – What is your ethnicity?
This can be a controversial question and to be avoided. If, however, it is relevant for the research objectives, it may be ok.
It is still confusing, though, as it assumes that the interviewee’s idea of ethnicity is the same as the researcher’s.
Ethnicity can be influenced by a variety of things, including nationality, place where one is born, where that person’s ancestors were from, personal background, religion, culture, etc.
This is too confusing and probably best to be avoided altogether. An interviewer could ask more specific questions instead, such as nationality, where the interviewee was born, etc.
For more free trainer activities, guides, and workplace training resources, visit our Trainer Resources & Practical Guides hub.
If you’re looking for a complete editable workshop, our Qualitative Market Research Training Materials include interview activities, trainer notes, participant workbooks, and practical exercises.
FAQs
What makes a good market research interview question?
A good interview question is clear, unbiased, and easy to understand. It should encourage participants to give detailed answers without leading them towards a particular response or making assumptions.
What are leading interview questions?
Leading interview questions suggest the answer the researcher expects or wants to hear. They can influence participants’ responses and reduce the reliability of qualitative research findings.
Why should interview questions avoid bias?
Biased questions can affect how people answer, making the results less accurate and less trustworthy. Using neutral wording helps researchers collect more reliable and balanced information.
Can this activity be used in workplace training?
Yes. This activity works well in workplace training for researchers, HR professionals, managers, and anyone learning interview or qualitative research skills. It can also be adapted for universities, colleges, and professional development workshops.
Teaching Market Research Skills in the Workplace
Are you looking for more training games for market research skills training, or interested in the PowerPoint slides and training notes that are included in the qualitative market research training materials?
They also include more information on designing effective interview questions. You can see these teaching materials below:
>> Introduction to Qualitative Market Research Teaching Materials
