The one page plan for your user interviews

User interviews need good planning; learn how to prepare for a user interview and about the 5 steps you need to reach the right participants.

Today, I’d like to help you get started with user interviews. You’ll read a few concrete steps here that will push your user interviews forward. Here we go.

First things first!

First, ask yourself and your product team a few questions and write down the answers:

1. What is it that led you towards user interviews? What is the background so far?
2. What is the reason for the research you want to do? What will be the end result? Example: Strengths and weaknesses of your current product design so that it can be improved in the next version.
3. What do you and your team want to learn? Example: We want to see whether the user really finds her way through the new app.
4. Which research technique or methodology will you use, how long will it take, and where do you want to do it? (in our labs, on the phone, on the Internet)
5. What kind of persons do you want to invite to participate in the interviews? Demographics? Experience? Possible wants and needs?
6. By which date do you want to have the interviews completed? When will the results be needed?

5 steps to reach the right participants

These are the five steps to reach the right participants for your user interviews (Click To Tweet)

Now, craft a screening questionnaire that will filter people into or out of your series of interviews:

1. List your criteria about who will be participating (e.g. traveling businessperson)
2. Transform the criteria into a measurable form (e.g. travels for business at least once per month)
3. Transform the measurable criteria into one or more screening questions (e.g. How often do you get on a train? On a plane? When was the last time you did that?). If the person chooses the right answer, she is in, otherwise she is out.
4. Repeat step 3, transforming more criteria into questions.
5. When your screening questionnaire is done, enter it into justaskusers.com and let it find and invite the participants for you.

You’re done! Users to be interviewed will queue up at your door! :-) This is the fastest and most hassle-free way to get your user experience research, your customer interviews or your market research done.

Have fun!
Matthias

P.S.: And remember: If you have any questions, we will be there to help. Just click on the tiny bubble in the bottom right corner of that page and ask us!