Simple games can improve experience of RANAS interviews

A research article by Alice Aubert and Max Friedrich has been published.

Face-to-face interviews are a common procedure to collect data and build evidence in development projects. They are a core tool of the RANAS approach.

We tested whether playing a simple game, a jigsaw puzzle, improved the participants’ experience of an interview about sanitation practices.

The results show that, if the puzzle was a manageable task for the participant, it improved the participant's experience. However, some participants found the task too difficult and on them, the puzzle had a negative effect on their experience of the interview.

Conclusion: Games can make face-to-face interviews more enjoyable, but the game must not be too difficult. Then, it can backfire too.

The study has now been published in PLOS ONE: