ECPS CO-DESIGN
Interview guide v1
PROJECT QUESTION
How might we better support tier 4 clients to build
strong parent and child relationships?
COMPENSATION
Food voucher to thank families for their time.
LOCATION
It’s best to meet somewhere where the family is comfortable.
We prefer the home because it gives a rich learning
environment. Some people may prefer a park or a cafe.
MATERIALS TO TAKE WITH YOU





This interview guide
Square photo cards
A3 busiest day sheet
Camera (or camera on your phone)
2x Consent forms (one to leave behind)
TIMELINE about 90minutes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction and permission - 15m
Busiest day [Busiest day sheet] - 20m
Relationship, changes [Photo cards] - 20m
Good life [Photo cards] - 20m
Close - 15m
CO-DESIGN INTERVIEW
1. INTRODUCTION + PERMISSION (15m)
The most important thing to remember is that you want to make
families feel safe and comfortable. Have a normal conversation
and explain why you’re there. You might say something like:
We’re talking to families with young children who’ve been through
some struggles. We’re hoping to identify opportunities to improve
services for similar families in the future.
We’d like to spend time with you and hear what you think, explore
what worked for you and what might have better supported you.
Ask for consent for the interview and to take notes to help
us remember.
2. BUSIEST DAY (20m)
We’d like to hear about what your busiest day was like this
week. How did the day start? … What happened next?
Step through the narrative of the day, digging deeper here and
there to learn about
•
Parent and child relationship. What do they do
together? What do they do apart? How do they relate?
•
Routines - “do you do that often?”
•
What their highs and lows are - “how were you feeling at
that point?”
•
Interests - “Ah, a big bowling fan. When was the last
time you went?”
•
What services they interact with and how helpful or not
those are - “Were those ladies at X helpful? What made
them helpful or not? Do you see anyone else like that?”
•
Who’s in their life and what they do together and apart
- “How often do you get to see Frank?”
3. RELATIONSHIP, VALUES – PHOTO CARDS (20m)
I have a set of cards that we’ll use to talk through a few different
questions. There are no right or wrong answers, the cards are
just a nicer way to have a chat. Nothing you say will have
anything do with the service we give you, it’s all about making
our service better for lots of people like you.
“First, could you choose three cards that talk about what it’s like
when you spend time with [child’s name].”
For each card, ask why they chose that card.
You might then dig deeper by asking questions like:
 Specific stories: Can you remember a particular time
when it was like that?
 How is their relationship with this child different or similar
to their other kids or friends and their kids?
“Second, can you choose one or more cards that talk about the
most significant changes in your relationship since he/she was
born.”
For each card, ask why they chose that card. You might then
dig deeper by asking questions like:
 What does that change look like? What did it used to
look like? What does it look like now?
 How does this compare with your other kids or friends
with kids?
4. VALUES – PHOTO CARDS + TAKE PHOTO (20m)
“Ok, one final exercise. Using the same set of cards [photo
cards], could you choose three that talk about what a good life
looks like for you and your family?”
We want to get at family aspirations and goals - where do they
see their family in a few years time and how different is that to
where they are now?
For each card, ask why they chose that card. You might dig
deeper by asking questions like:
•
Has that been important to you for a long time or is it
something you’ve realised more recently?
•
Who wouldn’t be surprised to know that’s something
that is important to you?
•
If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing
about life, what would it be?
PHOTO After you talk about the cards, ask if they mind
taking a photo of you with the cards they’ve selected.
Have the note taker step back and take a few photos of
the two of you together. If they don’t want a photo, ask if
they could choose a particular card or something around
you that could stand for them.
5. CLOSE (10m)
Thank the participant and share back some of the things you’ve
learned in the interview. It’s often nice to show them your notes
as you talk so they see what you’ve been writing down.
Walk the family through the consent form.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER
In the car after, sit down with your interview partner and talk
about the three things that stood out to you the most. What was
unexpected or surprising?
WITHIN A WEEK
Write up what you learned from the interview. Include
information about the context. Use as many direct quotes as
possible. Include nuance and both what’s stressing the family
as well as their aspirations and hopes. Try to avoid telling a
single story of the family.
FOLLOWING WEEK
Send a thank you note to the family with the
food voucher included (unless you gave it to them on the day).