Interview 

Structure of Interview

For my own interview, I plan on having a telephone interview meaning I must put together questions to ask the interviewee to ask and then record as well as follow up questions I may need to take into consideration beforehand. The purpose of my interview is to discover how businesses/companies use digital video technology on their platforms (mainly websites online) to enhance a user's interactive experience, i.e. why they use video content on their websites and what effect it has on user's in their opinion.

I emailed a few companies in the Chesterfield area which I researched into beforehand and the email looked like the following below:

Above is the template I used to email a few companies with my own message, regarding a telephone interview.

Some of the companies got back to me, others didn't and some saying they couldn't take part in the interview and some saying I must contact elsewhere:

From this email, I then sent another email contacting the digital media editor with an email like this one below:

Interview Style

For my Interview, there's a lot of things I'd hope my interview style to be; for example, for the questions I'd want them to be open meaning it's open for more explanation and answer which would get me a better response with full detail. I'd also want the interview's actual style to be quite light-hearted meaning it's not too serious and the interviewee feels relaxed and also you could say that it's promotional by promoting the business or company through their interview talking about their own digital video technology on their own website and why they use it. And finally, most importantly as my interview will be a telephone interview I must understand how to gather information and obtain comments from over the phone, I can do this by using a notebook and pen but also recording the phone call which will make it easier for myself to write up when listening back over the interview.





Here below are the interview questions I came up with regarding my subject matter to ask the companies:

Question 1: Could you first tell us about your company/business and in summary explain what your business is about?

Question 2: What is your job role and how do you participate in the company's output?

Question 3:

Question 4:

Question 5:

Question 6:

Question 7:

Question 8:

Question 9:

Question 10:

Interactive Platforms

In order to undertake an interview on this topic I must research into websites and blogs etc. looking at how video is used within them. 

I firstly looked at Defeye Creative and looked at videos within their website, finding different videos of different types; some that promoted events like Bingley Music Live and others surrounding Political Allegiance in their "journal" section as well as displaying their projects and upcoming projects, providing insight into their own work and video content. By doing this, this is a promotional tool promoting their company and displaying what they're about more than just telling you; visual aids can be far more effective than just written text.

http://www.defeyecreative.co.uk/profile/ 

Defeye Creative also comes under a directory of businesses which I could potentially interview, who are an independent creative studio specialising in design for print, visual identity, filmmaking and design for web. This business would be a great potential interviewee, where I could ask about their website and their use of video content on their website and what its used for, how effective it is etc.


The next website I looked at was "jbp media", which specialises in creating videos for clients products and services which could also be a potential interviewee. On their website, they have a variety of videos provided by their services displaying in different sections their different types of video production. Including a showreel, as well as video examples of their completed video projects; overall video is used within this website for the main reason which most sites use visual aid for. They use visual aid as a promotional tool and especially with their type of business they need to promote their video content to others in order to display their skills within video.

http://www.jbpmedia.co.uk/our-videos 

Another company I looked at was "Visualis" which is a local production company that provide videos for many different areas of media including, production, advertising, documentary and corporate. This would be a great potential interviewee and is definitely a company I will research further into. On their website, they have several "movie types" or production videos in a Portfolio section which are displayed to showcase the videos they have created for different services and the same as the other two companies; video is used on purpose in order to provide visuals and video examples to audiences and even other companies that want to take influence or who may even be looking to partner up with other companies; by showing their videos it showcases them to the general public.

http://www.visualis.co.uk/portfolio 

The next business I looked at was a business located in Derbyshire called Backchat Productions, also a production company they create films of different types and have been since 1994, and have created videos for the BBC, SKY, Audi, the NHS and more meaning this company seems like a great potential interviewee to add to the directory. On their website, they have videos in a "Films" section where we have an introduction video asking the question to readers "why not let us produce a video testimonial for your website?" meaning they really are promoting themselves to other businesses, and using video as it's far more effective in contrast to explaining in a large amount of text. One thing all of the businesses websites have in common is the use of video and images and small amounts of texts, after all they are all media businesses.

-

Directory


Defeye Creative : Contact: marplesj@chesterfield.ac.uk

Jbp Media: Contact: 07969197444

Visualis: contact form on website 

Backchat Productions: Contact form on website

Other businesses and companies in Chesterfield Area:

Active Image: Contact Dom Stevens 

Kinesomania: Contact: media@chesterfield-fc.co.uk

Design Kabin: Contact: advice@ifajonesandco.co.uk

ACL Vidcom: Contact: info@owentaylor.co.uk 

C21 Group: Contact: 01629 815999 

Secondary Research 

https://jodieeleanor.wordpress.com/62-2/how-do-designers-use-digital-video-to-enhance-a-users-interactive-experience-on-interactive-media-products/

This link was found when researching into why designers use digital video to enhance a users interactive experience; Though the screengrab above is talking about Television Platforms and DVD, the same still applies with a website using digital video. The same as using photos, connecting via message and other forms of media, these are all "interactive elements" that are used as a way for audiences to be more interactive, as said it's proved popular by users that enjoy the interaction and actually "connecting". Although the link above is talking about something different to what I'm finding out about, the same still applies and the text above explains an interactive element which users seem to enjoy more. 

As it states here, digital video is used to "enhance a user's experience" and puts them in full control; by putting video on a website, it gives user's an interaction which can't come across from just plain text. As well as images, and other forms of connection, these are all interactive elements and ways which a user can interact which is definitely more effective and proves popular as the link states.  

This next link talks specifically about business and companies using videos on their websites; firstly stating how designers can use types of video technology to "enhance a users interactive experience" and then goes further to explain how the evolution of media allows more people to access this form of media. Companies and business use video as it allows people to "be able to learn about their business", giving people this form of digital technology allowing designers to "show more" about their company. Meaning, by showing to user's videos, it's a more interactive way of allowing people to learn more about the company or business itself and gives them more of a physical insight into the company. By showing different types of video technology on a website, it allows people to view what the business is saying and displaying what they do, rather than just stating what they do with no form of not evidence, but in a way some form of certification and guarantee. 

Primary Research: Interview 

Here I undertook an interview with a Managing Director of a Company called Coopers who have their own website with video content on. I asked a few questions and below are the responses:

http://cooper.co.uk/video-gallery/

Question 1: In your opinion, how effective is having a website for your own business/company?

- In my opinion, having a website can be a very effective way to market your own business and allows you to compete with other companies in your industry. If you were a business and weren't to have a website, you're losing valuable opportunities and in this present day, the internet is one of the main way consumers look for brands.

Question 2: In your opinion, do you feel that video content is important to include on a business or company's website?

- In my opinion, video is apart of a businesses website as not only a great way to market products but also a way of making your website stylish but still look professional. For Coopers own website we have a Video Gallery on machinery which is tested on video for other companies to purchase our products, as well as videos about our company itself. Video content on a website is a great way to interact with user's as well as an easy way to explain what your company/business is about without explaining in masses of text.


Question 3: How effective is your own video gallery on your website and what impact does it have on sales of products?

- As explained on Question 2, our own video gallery is a very important aspect of our own website. It has a great impact and has improved sales, it helps other business in hopes of buying our products across seas, get an idea of what the type of machinery they plan on buying actually does as well as even giving a brief history on how the product was made etc. It has a great impact on our sales of products and helps others understand what our company is about and how the business is operated.

Overall, this piece of Primary Research was very useful; it has helped me get an idea of how my final interview may turn out as well as also making me more knowledgeable on the subject matter at hand. From this, I can now try and come up with more questions as well as maybe use those questions and expand on them, for my final interview and hope that I get good responses like that short one I undertook.

I now emailed a few companies/businesses with hopes that they reply so that I can undertake a full telephone interview with them. The email looked like this: