From IDI to cultural events: how listening carefully leads to meaningful change
In many projects, interviews end up as reports that no one really uses. In CulturAll, interviews are just the beginning. We want to shows how we turn real conversations with young migrants into concrete actions – step by step, from in-depth interviews to pilot programmes in cultural institutions.
Step 1: Listening first – in-depth interviews (IDI)
Everything starts with listening.
We conducted in-depth interviews (IDI) with young migrants in three countries, creating a safe space for people to talk about their everyday experiences, challenges, motivations and relationship with culture.
These interviews were not surveys or questionnaires. They were open, narrative conversations that allowed participants to tell their stories in their own words. This helped us move beyond assumptions and really understand how young migrants experience cultural institutions – and why participation is sometimes difficult.
Step 2: Making sense of stories – from transcripts to grids
After each interview was recorded and transcribed, we moved to analysis.
This is where grids come in.
A grid is a simple analytical tool that helps structure qualitative data. Instead of reading dozens of pages of transcripts, we organise key fragments into themes such as needs, barriers, motivations, emotions or expectations.
Grids allow us to:
- compare interviews without losing individual voices,
- spot repeating patterns across different countries,
- see what is systemic, not just personal.
This step turns raw stories into something we can actually work with.
Step 3: From data to insight – what really matters?
Insights are not quotes or observations.
An insight is a meaningful conclusion about what is really going on underneath people’s experiences.
For example:
- not just “young migrants don’t come to cultural events”,
- but “many young migrants don’t see cultural institutions as places where they are welcome or represented.”
Insights help us understand why something happens – and that “why” is essential if we want to design better solutions.
Step 4: Turning insights into questions – How might we…?
Once we have insights, we turn them into design questions using the How Might We… format.
These questions shift the focus from problems to possibilities:
- How might we make cultural institutions feel safer and more familiar to young migrants?
- How might we involve young migrants not only as participants, but as co-creators?
This step is crucial. It connects research with creativity and opens the door to action.
Step 5: From ideas to pilots – testing in real life
The final step is ideation and selection of pilot actions.
Using creative methods such as brainstorming and the How–Now–Wow matrix, we generate many ideas and then choose those that are:
- realistic,
- meaningful for young migrants,
- possible to test in cooperation with cultural institutions.
This is how interviews turn into pilot programmes: real activities tested in real places, with real people.
Why this process matters
This process ensures that our actions are not based on intuition or trends, but on lived experiences.
Young migrants are not just “researched” – their voices directly shape what we design and test.
In CulturAll, interviews are not an end point.
They are the first step towards more inclusive, empathetic and meaningful cultural practices.