Lessons from interviewing users across global markets
Once I heard a colleague say “anyone can ask questions to users”. I immediately disagreed and pushed back. Interviewing users, whatever the methodology, is about a lot more than just asking questions from a discussion guide.
As a Design Strategist, Interviewing users is a fundamental part of what I do. It’s at the core of the design process and yields a significant contribution when done right. Personally, I do it because I truly believe that the power of design lies in immersing myself in an experience, empathizing with people through research to unearth what’s at the core of a problem to solve.
I also believe that it can’t be done at a distance by filling out every gap with assumptions. Talking to people is an important part of the process because designing without the user in mind most likely leads to products and services that lack functionality and overall purpose. On the other hand, designing with the user at the center will most likely produce something that connects deeper with the customer, generating better engagement, and therefore, better results for our clients.
In the past few years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of customers across global markets — including North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia — and although culturally different, the principles of conducting a good interview apply to all the same, keeping in mind all the cultural nuances of any given place. Reflecting back on my experience, I’ve collected the following lessons which have helped me evolve and improve my personal interviewing skills:
The act of asking questions needs to be accompanied by actively listening to the interviewee and observing the surroundings, specially when you are in an unfamiliar environment.
Asking questions is the primary medium which allows us to understand behaviors, problems, perceptions and motivations behind customers’ actions. But listening attentively and simultaneously taking note of the surroundings; connecting the dots between what’s being said, what it really means and what the context is, is key to gathering significant insights. Tuning one of these out might mean ending up with diluted findings that barely scratch the surface of a topic.
This is true especially when I’ve found myself in unfamiliar surroundings, which is often in this profession. Whether I’m in a different country or simply a different neighborhood, turning on all my senses is the most powerful tool I have to extract the most amount of value.
A tactic I’ve found useful when visiting different countries is to connect with someone local who can get me acquainted with the place, local customs and peculiarities of the culture. If that person is in the field of design, even better. That way I already share a common language with someone who can help me understand the context and who can answer any questions that arise as I conduct research.
You don’t need to be an extrovert to conduct excellent interviews.
One of the greatest qualities of introverts is knowing how to listen and the ability to create a more intimate connection on a 1:1 setting. The job as an interviewer is to be inquisitive and get to understand the whys, but it is not to be the main focus in a conversation. At the end, talking too much might hinder the objectives of your research as it won’t allow you to give the interviewee enough space and confidence to express true opinions, ideas or feelings. As I’ve come to experience, especially in completely different markets, the more you talk, the less you learn.
When faced with a different culture and environment, letting your interviewees set the tone of the conversation and then mirroring them is a great tactic to learn about the locals and their customs. Coming off too strong or too passive will possibly throw the other person off, and the interview might not be entirely productive.
Filling up every silence gap is unnecessary, and could be counterproductive.
Silences are uncomfortable for almost everyone. But being ok with silences during an interview might generate useful extra bits of information that otherwise would remain locked away in the interviewee’s mind. More often than not, letting some thoughts breathe will give way to other considerations and ideas that just need the time to brew. In this case, promptly moving on to the next question when there’s a moment of silence might not be the best step to get more information out of someone.
As I’ve come to learn, people generally like talking about their own experiences if you give them the proper space. When you build in silence into your interview, you’re opening up opportunities for the interviewee to express more robust stories and opinions.
And overall, leave your own point of view at the door.
My job as a design researcher is not to impose my own opinions about something, nor validate these opinions with different users. I personally consider the job of a researcher to be open to what the user — the sole focus during the interview — has to say about the topic at hand. Even if that means asking certain questions which I might already have the answer to, because many times I’ve been surprised by the answer they give me.
It’s important to remind myself that the users are the experts and that they are the main reason why I’m talking to them in particular. Coming into an interview with a preconceived perspective on the issue makes me already biased toward what I think is the “right” answer. Usually, there is no right or wrong answer to what we’re trying to uncover as designers. There’s only a series of insights which we connect in different ways to create purposeful experiences.
