What is a potential limitation of unstructured interviews?

Unstructured interviews involve open-ended questions and allow for a flexible conversation, promoting a deep exploration of the interviewee's thoughts and feelings. However, a potential limitation of this approach is that the interpretation of responses can be challenging. This challenge arises because the lack of structure means that responses can be highly subjective. Interviewers may interpret answers differently based on their own biases or perspectives, making it difficult to draw reliable conclusions or to compare responses across different interviewees.

In contrast to standardized methods that provide consistent data collection and facilitate easier interpretation, unstructured interviews lack clear criteria for response interpretation, often leading to variability in understanding the information gathered. This variability can compromise the reliability and validity of the information collected.

While unstructured interviews offer the advantage of adapting to the interviewee's needs, enhancing their comfort and encouraging a richer dialogue, the downside is that this very flexibility can result in inconsistent interpretations.