Definition:
In-Person Survey or Face To Face Survey are interviews that are conducted in person. In face-to-face interviews, a trained interviewer is needed to conduct the interview with the respondents ensure that the questions are understood correctly by the respondent.
Types of face-to-face interviews:
In general, there are two types of face-to-face interviews based on how the interviewer deals with the respondents:
-Intercept: In this method, the interviewer conducts a short survey in public places such as shopping malls, tourist spots, and theaters.
-one-on-one or door-to-door: door-to-door survey, including the presence of the interviewer at the respondent’s home or arranging an appointment with the respondent to conduct an interview.
Advantages:
-High response rate: In the face-to-face interview, the product can be seen and touched, therefore this method has the possibility of persuasion and a high response rate.
-Observing the respondents’ body language: In this method, there is more opportunity to observe the respondent’s attitude and behavior towards the product.
-Ability to conduct longer interviews: Compared to online and telephone surveys, face-to-face surveys have more potential to conduct long interviews with open-ended questions.
-Can be conducted anywhere: Face-to-face interviews can be conducted in any place where qualified respondents are found. such as passers-by in shopping malls, visiting consumers’ homes, retail customers, etc.
-Stimulation of the five senses: unlike other surveys that only display audio and visual stimuli, in face-to-face interviews, it is possible to touch, taste and smell the products.
-Controlling the interview environment: the interview can be conducted in controlled environments (such as shelves and simulated boards in shopping malls); Also, if answering the questions requires the personal knowledge of the respondents, it can be ensured that the respondents do not have access to the Internet to receive information and ideas.
-Access to respondents: elderly people, low-income people, and generally people who have less access to the Internet can be recruited in a face-to-face survey through interviews with respondents in public centers.
Limitations:
-Long duration of face-to-face surveys: Unlike online surveys that can be completed in a few hours, face-to-face surveys may take days to weeks.
-Expensiveness: In order to carry out a face-to-face survey, an interviewer is needed to recruit and interview and present a gift to attract the respondent’s cooperation.
-Management problem: Due to the recruitment and briefing of interviewers and, if necessary, sending products for testing, face-to-face surveys require more coordination and supervision.
-Interviewer’s error: If the interviewer does not follow the interview instructions correctly, some interviews may be discarded.
Access: It may be difficult to get permission to conduct interviews in some places, such as schools.
-Answer bias: Due to issues such as the appearance of the interviewer, there is a possibility that the interviewee’s answers may be biased.