Published: Aug 15, 2026

Qualitative interviews usually rely on questions and conversation. But sometimes asking a participant to talk about an experience is not enough to bring back the details, emotions, or memories connected to it. Object elicitation offers another approach: introducing a physical or digital object into the interview and using it as a prompt for discussion.

The object might be a photograph, book, document, piece of clothing, keepsake, artwork, screenshot, or another artifact that has meaning for the participant. Instead of beginning only with a question such as “Tell me about your experience,” the researcher might ask, “Why did you choose this object?” or “What does this object represent to you?”

Objects can help participants remember experiences and communicate ideas that may be difficult to express through direct questioning alone. Research on object-oriented and photo-elicitation interviews suggests that introducing material or visual prompts can encourage participants to make connections, recall details, and reflect on meanings that might otherwise remain unexplored.

Objects can also shift the interview dynamic. Instead of having the conversation revolve entirely around a series of researcher-generated questions, both the participant and researcher can focus on the object. This can give participants more control over what they choose to discuss and how they explain its significance.

Object elicitation has many potential applications in library and information science. A researcher might ask participants to:

• bring a book that influenced them;
• select an object associated with an important library experience;
• share a document or photograph connected to family or community memory;
• choose an artifact that represents their professional identity;
• show a digital object, such as a screenshot, website, or social media post, that reflects an information experience.

For example, a study of students’ research habits could ask participants to bring something that represents how they conduct research. One student might choose a notebook, another a laptop, and another a saved collection of browser tabs. The resulting conversation could reveal not only what tools students use but also how they understand their own research practices.

How do you conduct an object-elicitation interview then The process can be relatively simple. Researchers can provide objects themselves or ask participants to select objects in advance. During the interview, open-ended prompts can encourage reflection:

• Why did you choose this object?
• What story does it have?
• What does it remind you of?
• Has its meaning changed over time?
• What would someone misunderstand about it if you were not here to explain it?

The goal is not simply to describe the object. The object acts as a doorway into the participant’s experiences, memories, relationships, and interpretations. Studies using material possessions in qualitative interviews have found that meaningful objects can help researchers explore personal experiences and the significance participants attach to them.

Objects can also introduce ethical issues. A photograph may contain people who did not consent to participate. A document may reveal private information. A treasured object may prompt an unexpected or emotional memory. Researchers should therefore consider privacy, confidentiality, ownership, and emotional risk when designing the interview. Similar concerns have been identified in research using photo elicitation, particularly when participants create or supply the materials being discussed.

It is also important to remember that the researcher should not assume what an object means. A worn library card, family photograph, or favorite book may have a completely different significance to the participant than the researcher expects. The participant’s interpretation is usually where the richest data emerge.

Object elicitation is a relatively simple way to make qualitative interviews more creative and participant-centered. For LIS researchers interested in information behavior, community memory, archives, professional identity, user experience, or everyday information practices, objects can provide an especially useful starting point. Sometimes asking “What does this mean to you?” can reveal more than asking another interview question.

Harrison, M., Rhodes, T., & Lancaster, K. — “Object-oriented interviews in qualitative longitudinal research.”
A useful discussion of incorporating objects into qualitative interviewing and what objects can contribute to the research encounter.

Gill, S. L. — “About Research: Qualitative Data Collection: Photo Elicitation.”
Although focused specifically on photographs, this overview explains how visual materials can stimulate richer discussion and reflection during qualitative interviews.