Asynchronous interview
An asynchronous interview is a research interview in which the participant answers at a time of their choosing, without the researcher present in real time, by recorded video, voice, text or email. It trades live back-and-forth for flexibility and reach.
How it works
The researcher prepares questions in advance and sends them through a platform; participants respond when convenient, often over a day or several days, and may take time to reflect before answering. Researchers can read responses and send follow-up questions in a later round.
The format removes scheduling, crosses time zones, suits people with irregular hours and can make sensitive topics easier to discuss. Its limit is that follow-up comes late or not at all: an unclear or thin answer cannot be explored in the moment. Newer approaches close that gap with automated moderation that responds to each answer as it is given.
A worked example
A retail chain needs input from 60 store managers across 4 time zones. A live interview schedule would take 3 weeks. An asynchronous format collects all 60 responses in 4 days, and 11 managers raise the same stockroom problem, which the chain fixes before the holiday season.
Related
Automate this in Pulse
An asynchronous interview usually waits hours or days for its follow-up, and a Pulse interview, though started whenever the participant chooses, puts that follow-up to them within the same sitting.