7 Steps to Better User Interviews
So, you want to talk to users? Great! User interviews are a powerful tool in your research arsenal. When done well, interviews provide deep insights into the needs, motivations, and pain points you may not otherwise learn about. When done poorly, interviews may result in self-congratulatory and biased conversations instead of meaningful and actionable insights.
For most organizations, getting one-on-one time with users doesn’t happen often enough. So how do you ensure you get the most from this precious time and conduct effective interviews?
Planning is everything
This is the most important thing you can do before embarking on any research, so please, don’t skip this step. Before the first interview is scheduled, invest the time to ask yourself and your stakeholders some basic, but essential questions.
What do you want to learn? What are the goals? What hypotheses need to be validated? Is your purpose to uncover users’ current priorities or validate a concept?
Without knowing what you want to accomplish, you risk wasting your and your users’ time. Answering these questions clarifies the scope of your interview and provides guardrails to focus conversations.
Clearly articulate and get agreement with stakeholders on the purpose and expected outcomes to ensure you accomplish your goals.
Know your audience
You get more meaningful data when you get specific on who you want to learn about. If you talk with the wrong users, no matter how delightful the conversation, the feedback may be irrelevant.
Create a profile or list of requirements of your target users. These users should map back to your learning goals. Identify the persona(s) they align with, their roles, and what customer segments (i.e., size, geography, industry, etc.) are relevant.
Be clear on who you are (and aren’t) talking to so you can tailor the conversation to what’s relevant for each individual.
Be prepared!
Whether the interview is in person or remote, you need to prepare. Ask someone to play the part of your user and conduct a mock interview. Try out the flow of questions, test assets and equipment that will support conversations, and get comfortable with the wording and timing of the interview. Additionally, think about how you will handle interview observers and their questions, or off-topic, but important user feedback that should be escalated or shared with others. What’s your backup plan if something goes wrong and the user is late, or your meeting link fails?
Before each interview, go through your checklist — do you have your questions, do you know who you are talking to, are your prototypes accessible, have you scheduled enough time between interviews in case sessions run over allotted times?
Investing an hour or so on a dry run is a great way to address potential issues ahead of time and not during your valuable time with the user.
Set the right expectations and tone
Start each interview by setting clear expectations. Don’t jump right in with a question. Instead, take a minute or two to introduce yourself (and any observers). Reiterate the goals, time commitment, and outcomes for everyone on the call. Ask the user for permission to record the conversation, and validate your non-disclosure requirements, if applicable. Users may feel nervous or reserve their feedback when a rapport hasn’t been established.
Get them in the right mindset and start with simple questions. “Tell me about yourself. What’s your role at Company XYZ?” Once they’re warmed up, you can dive into meatier topics. Be warm and friendly (but not overly so). Reassure the user that you’re there to listen and learn, not to judge them.
Don’t lead the witness
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had a waitperson smile and ask, “Do you like your meal?” Most people respond in a positive way, even if the steak was overcooked, or the pasta was under seasoned. They don’t want to be rude or make anyone upset. When a question is asked in this way, it’s implied, whether consciously or not, that a positive response is desired.
It’s hard to remove this bias, but it’s important if you want to know what your users actually think. So, what can you do? Stay neutral. Instead of asking, “Did you like feature X?” try, “How did you use feature X?” Be conscious of how you appear to users and use your voice, facial expressions, and body language to communicate active listening and neutrality. The user should do most of the talking while you steer the conversation to important topics or dig in for deeper insights.
Avoid ‘judgy’ responses. Don’t follow up their comments with, “That’s great!” or “Oh, yikes!” Stick with, “Tell me more about that” or “Can you give me an example?”. Ask for more details if responses are brief or ambiguous so you can draw out what users really mean. Every question you ask should map back to your research goals.
When users share feedback that’s outside the scope of your research, thank them for the feedback, and after the interview, share it with the appropriate team. Let users know their comments are not falling on deaf ears, but be careful to not promise to fix their problem if it’s outside your power to do so.
Stay neutral
In an ideal world, you can conduct interviews objectively because you are asking users about someone else’s ideas or designs. In reality, this is not always the case. You are often tasked with getting feedback about your own work. And though you try not to be affected, feedback from users can feel like a compliment or insult to our professional egos.
So, how to stay above the fray? Go back to step one and reacquaint yourself with the purpose of these interviews. Are the users helping you to answer your questions, accomplish your identified goals, and validate hypotheses? Have these conversations shed light on users’ goals, needs, and pain points? If the answer is yes, then you’ve done your job!
End on a high note
So, you’ve reached the end of the interview time. The user shared useful feedback and you’re mentally exhausted from the thought-provoking conversation. Express gratitude to the user, pat yourself on the back and call it a day, right?
Not so fast! Don’t waste an opportunity like this slip by. Wind down the conversation and finish on a high note. Were there additional topics you didn’t get to, but want to hear more about? Ask if you can follow-up with users at another time. Looking for more users to talk to? Use it as a networking opportunity — your users may know someone who would be perfect for you to speak with. Want to whet their appetite for engaging in future research? Let users know that their feedback is valuable and ask if you can contact them in the future for topics of interest.
Post-interview, jot down the highlights and key takeaways while they are fresh in your mind. If you had observers listening in, invite them to stay 5 or 10 minutes after the user leaves to share their observations. And, of course, send a thank you note or email to your users — it’s the polite thing to do :)
Connect, engage, learn
Interviews let you connect with, engage, and learn from your users. There’s no rocket science involved, and you don’t need to have a special degree or certificate to do it well. Getting the most from this valuable activity just requires a bit of planning, an open mind, and some practice.
