In-Depth Interviews: Why Moment-to-Moment Dial Testing Is the Missing Link
In-depth interviews (IDIs) are invaluable for understanding motivations, emotions, and decision-making. But even the best interviews depend on memory, and memory isn’t always reliable.
That’s why more researchers are pairing IDIs with dial testing, bringing true moment-to-moment measurement into the qualitative process. Dial testing enhances the conversation.
1: See emotion as it happens, not just how it’s remembered.
Dial testing captures continuous, second-by-second emotional response as participants watch, listen, or interact with content. Instead of asking participants to reconstruct how they felt, you can observe it directly.
Then, the interview does what it does best: explore why those moments mattered.
Follow-up questions become more precise:
- “Your dial dropped here, what caused that reaction?”
- “This moment sparked a strong positive response, what stood out?”
2: Let emotional data guide the conversation.
In traditional IDIs, interviewers decide when to probe based on intuition. With dial testing, emotional peaks and dips make those decisions easier.
You can immediately identify:
- Moments of connection / Moments of confusion
- Points of agreement / Points of frustration
- Engagement peaks / Engagement drop-offs
This leads to more targeted, meaningful conversations.
3: Create a shared emotional timeline.
One of the biggest benefits of dial testing in IDIs is the shared reference point it creates. Both interviewer and participant can look at the same emotional curve and talk about specific moments.
This reduces vague feedback like “I liked it overall” and replaces it with:
“This moment worked, this moment didn’t, and here’s why.”
4: Blend immediacy with depth.
It brings immediacy into the interview, without sacrificing nuance, by capturing reactions as they happen and unpacking them through conversation.
How to Use Dial Testing Inside Moment-to-Moment IDIs
The Bottom Line
IDIs already bring researchers closer to real experiences. Moment-to-moment dial testing takes that one step further making emotion visible, measurable, and discussable in real time.
When you combine continuous emotional measurement with thoughtful interviewing, you don’t just hear what people say. You see how they feel, moment-by-moment, and understand why it matters.
Curious to learn more? Contact our consulting team to explore how we can support your upcoming research.
