Follow-up questions

Don’t settle for the first answer you receive from your participants. It might be the first thing that comes to their mind and may not be an accurate representation of how things really are. Ask them follow-up questions until you gain more clarity on their answers, especially if they are unclear.

Follow-up questions usually take the form of “why,” “what,” or “how.” You may also ask them to support their answers with examples.

When asking follow-up questions, use the “Five Whys” technique. It involves asking “why” five times as consecutive follow-up questions until you are satisfied that you have collected all the necessary details from the participant.