In-Depth Interview (IDI) Guide Builder

Example output

In-depth interview guide — Hollyfare Kitchen lapsed subscribers (45 minutes, one-on-one video)

0:00-0:05 — Warm-up and consent
Thank the respondent, confirm recording consent, and open with a low-stakes question unrelated to the sensitive topic: "Tell me a bit about a typical weeknight dinner at your place these days." This establishes a natural, conversational tone before any questions about cancellation, and gives you a baseline read on their cooking routine to reference later.

0:05-0:12 — Behavior first: the subscription story
"Walk me through how you first heard about Hollyfare Kitchen and what made you sign up." Let them tell the story in their own order; do not interrupt to redirect to your question list. Follow with: "Take me through your first box — what happened when it arrived?"
Probe: "What did a typical week look like once you had a few boxes in?"

0:12-0:22 — Laddering toward the cancellation motivation
Start concrete, then ladder upward: "Tell me about the week you decided to cancel — what happened?" (concrete event) then "What was going through your mind at that point?" (immediate reaction) then "What did that moment say to you about whether Hollyfare Kitchen was working for you?" (underlying belief).
This is the core laddering sequence — do not skip from the concrete event straight to "why did you cancel," which invites a rehearsed, surface-level answer instead of the real reasoning.

0:22-0:30 — Sensitive-topic technique: normalizing and indirection
Because cost and "not cooking from scratch enough" can carry judgment, avoid asking "was it too expensive?" or "did you feel guilty?" directly. Instead: "A lot of people we talk to mention a few different reasons for pausing a meal kit — juggling cost, time, or just how the boxes fit their week. What was going on for you?" This normalizes multiple reasons before the respondent has to name their own, lowering the social-desirability pressure to give a flattering answer.
If cost comes up: "How did you think about the value of a box versus what else that money could go toward?" — indirect enough to avoid feeling like an interrogation about money.
Sit in silence for at least 3-5 seconds after each answer before your next question — the most candid detail often comes in what the respondent adds after an initial answer, once the silence gets uncomfortable enough that they keep talking.

0:30-0:38 — What would have changed the outcome
"Was there a point where something could have changed your mind about continuing?" Probe for specificity: a price point, a different box frequency, a specific dish.
"If a friend asked you about Hollyfare Kitchen today, what would you tell them?"

0:38-0:43 — Closing and unprompted thoughts
"Is there anything about your experience we haven't talked about that you think is important?" This closing question regularly surfaces the single most important theme of the whole interview — never skip it for time.

0:43-0:45 — Thank you and close
Confirm you may follow up with a short clarifying question by email, thank them, stop recording.

Interviewer notes
- This respondent group may under-report cost as a reason due to social desirability; watch for it emerging indirectly (comments about "value," "worth it," "other things going on") even when not named directly, and gently probe those phrases rather than putting words in their mouth.
- Do not rush the 3-5 second silences in the laddering section — this is where IDIs earn their depth advantage over a group setting, since there's no social pressure to fill silence with a quick, safe answer.
- If a respondent seems uncomfortable with a question, offer an explicit out: "You're welcome to skip this one if you'd rather not go into it" — a sensitive-topic IDI should never feel like an interrogation.

Want a matching short screener to recruit the remaining 9 respondents, or a coding framework to analyze themes once all interviews are done?