Audience consultation

I've been thinking... I know, dangerous, but someone has to do it!

Rather than stick out a very linear survey trying to guage audience perceptions about a web site that some may know well, and others not at all, I thought we might try and get some more qualitative data by conducting short (3 minute) interviews or gathering data via discussion boards.

The two target student groups I was thinking of was Fastrack (new to EHU, possibly new to study, mature and enthusiastic, Undergraduate) and distance learning students at all levels, Undergraduate and Postgraduate. With Fastrack, we could follow their study in that they start next week and will be introduced to the LS pages as part of induction, and then interview the same students again at the end of the course, asking what it was that was missing from the pages (when they've got more of an idea of what they need).

In addition we could post to the GO discussion board.

Does anyone have any questions that we could use to start a conversation with our audiences?

Do some of you have an hour or two spare next week to hold a clipboard and ask?