Tips to Conduct Remote User Interview with the Silver Generation
Last year I had the opportunity to work on a project with one of Indonesia’s government agencies to understand senior citizens’ digital literacy and challenges that they face when accessing health, social and financial aid. As part of the project, our team conducted 10 remote in-depth interviews with senior citizens (aged 60 and above) based in Java, Indonesia specifically in Jogjakarta and Bantul.
When I started a project, I was both excited and nervous. Excited because it was my first project where I got to design a solution for the senior citizens. Yet I was also nervous because I have a lack of confidence when it comes to interviewing seniors. For instance, the only senior that probably understands what I’m talking about is my grandma. I speak really fast in Bahasa Indonesia and I tend to speak more casually when I speak in my mother tongue, which might come off as impolite by the older generation. And most times I still tend to mix Indonesian and English language in one sentence while I speak. While this is not an issue when I interview respondents living in urban cities in Indonesia, this could potentially become a challenge for the project.
However, I was prepared to overcome this challenge and strive to improve my skill as a UX researcher. As the pandemic still occurs, we conducted a remote interview where we sent a local fixer that lives in the respondent’s area to set up the interview devices at the senior’s home and take pictures of the respondent’s surroundings. The local fixer also adhered to the health protocol by practising social distancing, wearing a face mask at all times and frequently sanitising his hand.
From the project, here are few important tips that I’ve gathered from talking with senior respondents:
Ensure respondent is comfortable with the remote setting
For most seniors, Zoom interviews are a foreign experience. So turning on the video is a must so they can familiarise themselves with the moderator. Don’t forget to introduce yourself, warm them up with questions about their day or interest. It may take a while for seniors to warm up, but once you break the wall, they will be excited to share their stories. Make sure to speak slower, in a clear manner and be prepared for the possible audio delay. A pause in between answer is better than rambling through and leaving respondents confused.
Keep the interview duration short and efficient
Be mindful of the interview duration. I tried to prioritise important questions and managed to keep the duration at 45 - 60 minutes max to avoid fatigue or incoherence. This is especially important when interviewing seniors that need long-term care or have special conditions.
When an open-ended question doesn’t work, give them choices
In the first few interviews, we initially asked questions such as “What do you think of the current access to health facilities?”. This confused the respondents as they can’t think of any ideas and ended up giving a politically correct answer. Later on, we realised that respondents tend to have difficulties in expressing their needs or what they want. This is either they are shy or they don’t want to be seen as a nuisance.
So instead of an open-ended question, we tried another way to obtain a response or ideas from the respondents by giving choices. When we want to discover what the respondent thinks of the current access to their health facility, we asked this question: “which one do you think is a better way to access a health facility: having someone from the health facility to pick you up or use your own vehicle?” By choosing one of the options, we can probe the respondents further about their preferences and past experiences.
Offer a mini-break in-between the interview session
During the sessions, I notice that seniors feel reluctant to admit when they are tired. A quick bio break ensures a quality conversation. In my case, I’d always ask if the respondents need to take a short break halfway through the interview session to prevent fatigue. Another trick that I do: I excuse myself that I need to take some water and there are cases when the respondents also mirror the behaviour. More break, less tense session!
Include caregivers to join the call to clarify few things
The senior respondent’s caregiver is also a good resource to get a second confirmation if we want to clarify a few pieces of information. They have objective opinions and understand what the respondent needs as they accompany them daily. Depending on the circumstance, you can choose to do the interview with the senior respondent and caregiver together, or a separate session so the caregiver can be more comfortable sharing more information. When the respondent has a special condition, having a caregiver on his/her side ensures that the respondent is comfortable with the whole setup and the caregiver can act as a bridge between the moderator and respondent.
Reconfirm if they need to hear the questions or explanations again
I found that senior respondents might process information differently. To avoid confusion or misunderstanding, the moderator needs to take initiative to ensure that the respondent understands the question or the concept we presented. Spend more time on explanation. It also helps to adopt local lingo or use the terms that they are familiar with.
Patience is the key
As I’ve said before, seniors love to tell stories once they warm up. Most of the respondents we’ve interviewed are living in an empty nest as their kids are working in the big city, have their own family and only visit few times a year. At times, responses can be off-topic and jumbled, but I figure it was also because they were excited to share stories with us. Give them the stage and don’t be in a rush to cut them off, you might get valuable information from the side-tracked stories, such as their living condition or other things they need. And the plus point: you get to bond and bring a bit of fun into the process. It is always nice to hear heartwarming stories about their grandkids or their favourite weekend activity.
After I finished the project, I began to understand the struggles that Indonesian senior citizens face every day and sense the loneliness and helplessness that they feel. There is still so much that we can do to help senior citizens feel like they are still an integral part of society and bridge them with better access to further improve their mental and physical health. On a personal level, this project also reminds me to call and visit my grandma more often. She might not say it, but I know she appreciates the company :)
To recap, here are 7 tips to conduct remote user interview with senior citizen:
1. Ensure respondent is comfortable with the remote setting
2. Keep the interview duration short and efficient
3. When the open-ended question doesn’t work, give them choices
4. Offer a mini-break in-between the interview session
5. Include caregivers to join the call to clarify facts and information
6. Constantly ask them if they need to hear the questions or explanations again
7. Patience is the key
I hope you learned a thing or two from these tips. Have you got any stories or tips from interviewing senior citizens? Do share it!
Cultural context
Since all the respondents that we interviewed are based in Java, Indonesia, we observed the apparent local behaviour that appeared across all respondents. Respondents tend to be reluctant in expressing their opinion, especially since we only meet each other. We assume it’s either because they don’t want to appear rude or seen as a hassle. Seniors are also quite passive when it comes to their needs and they are hesitant to ask for help because they are afraid to become a burden, especially in the eyes of their own children. Therefore, it is necessary to further investigate whether this behaviour is also present within seniors in other parts of Indonesia.
*Respondent’s name is changed to ensure data confidentiality
