Why use an interview tool? Regardless of how you decide to conduct interviews for your research, there are a plethora of tools that can make the process a lot smoother. Some tools may allow you to schedule meeting times with all your participants simultaneously instead of contacting them individually, other tools may help with transcribing interviews to prepare for your analysis phase. Below you will also find some recommendations for conducting interviews virtually.
| Tool | Uses | Price | Multilingual Support | Special use notes |
| Skype | Teleconference software for conducting interviews | Free accounts available- Paid options for skype to Phone | Yes | Allows for computer to cell phone calls (fees may apply). |
| Zoom | Videoconference software for conducting interviews | Free for one hour with free account. Full service Account provided through Middlebury | Yes | Has built in scheduling, transcription and recording software. |
| Microsoft Teams | Videoconference software for conducting interviews | Part of Microsoft office tools. Free account available. Paid Account provided through Middlebury Microsoft license. | Yes | Easy synch to all Microsoft office products. |
| Jitsi Meet | Videoconference software for conducting interviews | Free for all users with no limitations. | Yes | Works with all software forms and is in browser so no download required. |
| Google Meet | Videoconference software for conducting interviews | Free version available to anyone with a Gmail account. | Yes | Easy synch to all Google Office products. |
| Google Voice | Allows user to create a digital phone number | Free version available to anyone with a Gmail account. | Yes | Allows for voicemails. Note does not allow for video conferencing. |
| Doodle | Scheduling Software | Free with account | No | Allows participants to easily schedule and manage interviews |
| When2Meet | Schedule Comparison software | Free (no account required) | No | Allows individuals to fill out their availabilities for comparison. Does not schedule interviews for you. |
| Outlook Calendar | Scheduling Software | Free as part of Outlook Account (default emailing provider for Middlebury) | Yes | If both users have an outlook account, they can fill in their schedules and use outlook to find availabilities and schedule meetings. Syncs with Teams, Zoom and Outlook. |
| Otter.ai | Transcription and translation tool | Free account with 600 minute limit a month (with a 30 min max per file limit). Paid accounts start at 8.33$ per month | Yes (includes translation software) | Note that Otter.ai software is the software used in Zoom’s closed captioning software. An Otter.ai app is available on most smartphones but with limited features. |
| Descript | Audio and video transcription tool | 3 hours of transcription free, then pay for either 10 or 30 hours per month. | Yes | Allows for easy collaboration through shareable links or giving others access to comment and edit. Allows you to add speaker labels. |
| Rev | Audio and video transcription tool | Pay per audio minute, an additional fee per minute for verbatim transcription and timestamps | No | Easy to upload files from different sources including Zoom and Google Drive. Allows for collaboration and editing of transcripts. |
| Online Interviews for Scholarly Qualitative Research | Framework for conducting virtual interviews | Free (no account required) | No | Dr. Janet Salmons provides details regarding how to conduct effective online interviews for scholarly research in this instructional video. |
