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Course 109 · Work course 45

Conduct and Analyze Service Interviews

A service-research brief with neutral interview questions, a consent plan, coded fictional transcripts, and findings linked to evidence.

Before you start

Read short interview excerpts and separate what a person said from what you infer.

See everything you’ll need

Practice materials and a worked example · Free download. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

A service-research brief with neutral interview questions, a consent plan, coded fictional transcripts, and findings linked to evidence.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesStart with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from NNgroup introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
NNgroupThe 3 Types of User Interviews: Structured, Semi-Structured, and UnstructuredYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners age 14 and up; no employment or prior professional experience is required.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Read short interview excerpts and separate what a person said from what you infer.
  • Use paper, a text editor, or any free document editor; a calculator is optional.
  • Download the fictional starter and annotated example, or use the same records within each lesson.
  • No employer, customer, interview participant, purchase, or outside cooperation is required.
  • Lesson time includes practice and checks; optional video viewing and initial setup are extra.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

A service-research brief with neutral interview questions, a consent plan, coded fictional transcripts, and findings linked to evidence.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • A one-page research brief with question, scope and known evidence limits.
  • A five-prompt interview guide with a neutral follow-up probe.
  • A practice consent script and data-lifecycle table.
  • A three-row coded evidence table with interpretation and uncertainty columns.
  • A findings map with supporting IDs, contrary evidence, and open questions.
  • A complete research packet and concise readout with findings, limits, owner and next evidence needs.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Every required section is present and traceable to the supplied case facts.
  • Decisions separate known facts, assumptions, and unresolved questions.
  • Records, calculations, and instructions agree with each other and the stated rules.
  • The final revision addresses a changed case and explains what someone should do next.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Ask about experience

Concrete past examples are stronger than guesses about future behavior.

02

Keep evidence traceable

Preserve which statement supports each interpretation.

03

Look for disagreement

A useful analysis includes evidence that challenges the emerging story.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Research question
The uncertainty a study is designed to explore.
Neutral prompt
A question that does not suggest a preferred answer.
Consent
An informed, voluntary agreement to participate under stated conditions.
Code
A short label applied to a relevant piece of evidence.
Finding
An interpretation supported by traceable evidence and stated limits.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Frame a useful research question

    Turn a proposed fix into a question about an unresolved service experience.

  2. 2
    22 min

    Write neutral interview prompts

    Build a short guide that invites concrete experiences.

  3. 3
    22 min

    Plan consent and data use

    Explain participation and data handling before collecting any real information.

  4. 4
    22 min

    Code transcript evidence

    Create evidence rows that separate statements from interpretations.

  5. 5
    22 min

    Build and challenge patterns

    Develop a finding that accounts for supporting and contrary evidence.

  6. 6
    22 min

    Write the research readout

    Connect evidence, implications and next research decisions without promising results.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Conduct and Analyze Service Interviews practice files

Start with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

GOV.UK in-depth interviews
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected planning, neutral questions, listening and interview structure.

Access: Public official service manual; no account.

Reuse: Reference only. Site indicates Open Government Licence v3.0 except where stated; all course prompts and transcripts are original.

GOV.UK analyze a research session
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected observations, grouping evidence and developing findings without jumping directly to solutions.

Access: Public official service manual; no account.

Reuse: Reference only; no templates or example participant material copied.

GOV.UK consent for research
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected informed voluntary consent and explaining data use; UK organizational context, not a universal legal checklist.

Access: Public official service manual; no account.

Reuse: Reference only; the practice protocol is an original fictional exercise.

The 3 Types of User Interviews: Structured, Semi-Structured, and Unstructured
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected https://www.nngroup.com/videos/3-types-user-interviews/ and its HTML watch link; YouTube oEmbed verified exact title and NNgroup channel. Metadata and source were checked on 2026-09-12; full playback was not tested.

Access: Public YouTube metadata verified; viewing may depend on region/network. Optional; every activity works from written material.

Reuse: Link or embed only. No video download, transcription, or rehosting.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one