The book describes in-depth qualitative interviewing from the very beginning to last step, from its underlying philosophy and assumptions to project design, analysis and write up. In responsive interviewing, the stages of research-design, data gathering, and analysis-are intimately linked. Researchers perform analysis throughout their projects, not just at the end, so that as they learn more, they can modify both the research problem they are exploring and the questions they ask.

The book assumes no prior knowledge or experience, and the authors' tone is conversational, revealing that interviewers can make mistakes, recover from them and still obtain rich and meaningful information.