Feedback Interview
As the end of Project 2 approaches, it will be useful to get feedback from a fresh set of eyes. To ensure that you get valuable responses, you'll first draft a set of questions for your instructor to review.
Who to interview?
Try to find someone with relevant expertise, such as:
- A professional designer, artist, or media professional
- A subject-matter expert (e.g. if you're making a website about sustainability, you might interview someone working in that field even if they're not a designer)
- A student from another class
- Another faculty member at the university (here's a list of primary DMD faculty)
People are generally glad to receive your interest and respect, so sending a "cold email" to someone you don't personally know is totally worth a shot! A good email or DM should be short and concise, while including the following:
- Identify who you are
- Explain your relationship to the person (where you found them, how you know them)
- Clarify what you need (feedback on project, their valuable knowledge or perspective...)
- Offer actionable details (deadline for meeting, how and when you're like to meet...)
Cultivating a network of professional contacts is invaluable for professional development, and getting to know people online or IRL can contextualize your work in a community. Be courteous in all communications with your interview subject. Give them adequate time to reply and review your work.
If you can't someone like the examples suggested above, you may interview a friend or family member, but please reach out to someone else first!
Meet with your subject in person or with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or other synchronous video app. (If this is not feasible, please contact your instructor.)
1. Interview Preparation
Prepare a text document to be shared only with your instructor.
Identify an interview subject you plan to contact, their professional relationship to your project and/or why you chose them.
Include 6–8 questions that you will ask your interview subject after they have seen your work-in-progress. Good questions should:
- Avoid yes/no answers in favor of open-ended responses.
- Proceed in a logical sequence, often from general to specific.
- Include a mix of conceptual and technical questions.
- Reflect the unique perspective of the interview subject.
Required question to ask your subject: Can you recommend something that I should look at for my project? Like a designer, artist, book, or project?
( You can try to work that into the conversation or rephrase the question, but see if you can get a recommended designer, project, book, or piece of media to look up. )
You may include questions about your subject's profession or experience as well as specific questions about your project.
2. Project Summary Document
Use this template document to prepare a summary of your project to share with your interview subject.
You will submit this to your instructor first so they can review it.
3. Conducting the interview
Refer to your questions but feel free to talk about other topics as well. Have a normal conversation!
Send a thank you message within a few days of conducting the interview.
Results
Take notes during your interview, and summarize your conversation or findings to share with your instructor. This can be specific answers to your prepared questions and/or things that come up in conversation.
I recommend writing this up immediately after the conversation while it's fresh!