Reference table
Which probing question to use
Match the participant's answer to the right follow-up
A decision table for choosing a follow-up during an interview. Vague answers get a clarification probe, short but interesting ones an elaboration probe, and preferences a contrast probe. When a participant seems to have more to say, stay quiet or echo their last words, and when two answers clash, ask how they connect. Practise it until it becomes instinctive.
Where this appears
What's in this reference table
| The answer is... | Use a... |
|---|---|
| Vague or ambiguous | Clarification probe |
| Interesting but too short | Elaboration probe |
| A preference or a choice | Contrast probe |
| Left unfinished, with more to say | Silence or echo probe |
| Contradicts something said earlier | Gentle clarification: ask how the two connect |
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/which-probing-question-to-use-decision-table"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/which-probing-question-to-use-decision-table/which-probing-question-to-use-decision-table.png" alt="Table matching the kind of interview answer to the probe to use: clarification, elaboration, contrast, silence, echo or a gentle check on contradictions." width="1200" height="630" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/which-probing-question-to-use-decision-table">Which probing question to use</a>, Koji</p>
