Key informants interview Key informant interviews of people not necessarily living in the community should accompany the initial rapid literature review of major issues and questions for field investigation. These five interviews will save us an enormous amount of time. Following the literature review and key informants interviews, the team should meet to identify key knowledge gaps and prioritize those on the basis of relevance to the project as a whole. It depends particularly on the nature of the information one wants to acquire. Therefore the research team must first determine what they want to know, and select methods most appropriate to filling that knowledge gap.
Cost effectiveness is central.
Much of this derives from common sense and practical experience, and being aware of appropriate levels. To collect the same information using a questionnaire survey would add little to the validity or precision of this knowledge, and would add greatly to the cost. Validity is really a question of understanding the significance of what you are describing. Without further understanding, each possibility is equally probable. Appropriate precision is about being sure why you want to collect quantified information, and what level of precision is necessary to establish the point you want to make.