QUIP: Understanding Clients through In-depth Interviews

The practice note describes QUIP (Qualitative in-depth individual impact assessment protocol), a methodology that can help microfinance institutions (MFIs) better understand their clients through market research or impact assessment. The paper details the usefulness of QUIP that uses in-depth interviews with individuals, since it can:

• Provide useful information about the MFI products and services;
• Allow detailed dialogue with the clients about the effects of these services;
• Highlight variations in impact for different types of clients;
• Show links between service use and impact;
• Be a simple and inexpensive method over a short period of time.Further, the paper draws on pilot studies in Zambia and Peru and provides a step-by-step guide to:
  • Develop and conduct in-depth interviews;
  • Analyze the information;
  • Draw conclusions for informed decision making.

The paper details ten steps that cover planning, data collection, analysis and presentation of findings to enable better planning of the interview and data-collection process:

• Deciding on the type of data needed;
• Deciding on who carries out the work;
• Identifying baseline information to track changes;
• Selecting sample for qualitative interviews;
• Designing a semi-structured interview schedule;
• Preparing interviews;
• Creation of appropriate setting for conducting interviews;
• Analysis and interpretation of narrative data;
• Conversion of qualitative data into quantitative information through an impact scoring system;
• Proper usage of data for service improvement.