(40) I read this sheet each time before talking to a customer
I try to talk to at least one customer a week. This helps me immerse myself in the customer’s environment. The nature of these conversations are exploratory and qualitative. And before every interview, I prime myself by reading a document called the Interview Review Sheet. This review sheet is a list of guidelines to follow while talking to a customer. Reading it before every customer interview acts as a reaffirmation to stay true to the purpose of the interview and not dilute the effectiveness of the interviews. I was given this sheet a couple of years ago in a workshop conducted by the team from Mad Pow.
In this post, I am going to share the contents of this sheet with you. Feel free to use it in your own work environment.
Welcome
W1: Set Appropriate Expectations
Review context of interview, purpose of interview, roles of moderator, note taker and participant, estimated duration, moderator is not the designer
W2: Reassure Participant
Not a test of the participant, here to learn about the strengths/weaknesses of design; Participant should not speak for others unless specically asked.
Questioning
Q1. Avoid Leading Questions
Example:
Bad: How did you like the login screen?
Good: What did you think about the login screen?
Q2. Where possible, ask open ended questions instead of binary or limited choices.
Example:
Bad: Does this make sense?
Good: What are your impressions of this?
Q3. Ask opinion questions using balanced emphasis on different options
Example:
Bad: Is this feature helpful to you?
Good: Is this feature helpful to you or is the feature not helpful to you? Why?
Q4. Ask about actual behavior for the individual, avoid hypothetical predictions for larger groups
Example:
Bad: Would this be a good idea?
Good: How valuable would this be to you in your job?
Q5. Don’t assign blame in probing questions.
Bad: Why did you do that?
Good: I noticed you did X. Talk me through your thought process.
Q6. Ask for specific examples and encourage storytelling
Bad: Do you have trouble with the search function?
Good: Tell me about a time when you couldn’t find what you were searching for.
Q7. Avoid overly complex questions that require lengthy descriptions
Bad: When this site was designed, there was a discussion whether…
Good: How could this site best meet your needs?
Q8. Don’t ask participant to design solutions, ask for opinions on experience.
Bad: What would be the best way to design this?
Good: In your experience what other applications have done this well?
Q9. Ask curious questions to explore, but avoid argumentative probes
Bad: Do you have anything else to say about…?
Good: Can you tell me more about…?
Q10. Ask “why” to understand reasons for certain actions.
Bad: How would you rate your experience with the site?
Good: How would you rate your experience with the site? And why?
Interacting
- Let the participant talk
Example: Pause to let them finish a thought — don’t talk over them.
2. React to body language
Example: Pick up on participant body language of frustration or annoyance and adjust interaction accordingly.
3. Don’t defend a design
Example: Act as a neutral party outside of the design team — moderator is there for research, not to defend designs.
4. Watch for self-censoring
Example:
Probe further when participant censors themselves by trying to be too nice or blaming themselves
5. Develop friendly rapport
Example:
Be welcoming and helpful to participant without being too empathetic if participant is negative toward a design.
6. Provide neutral encouragement
Example:
Offer fair assessment of participant’s responses — don’t overly praise positive or negative comments.
7. Repeat answers
State responses back to participant to ensure accuracy on complex points and to encourage elaboration.
8. Minimize moderator distractions
Be aware of annoying or repetitive gestures and phrases from the moderator and minimize them.
9. Encourage thinking aloud
For task-based questions, remind participant to think-aloud.
10. Don’t force opinions
Example:
Ask about participant opinions where appropriate, but don’t force opinion if participant doesn’t feel strongly.
Closing
- Ask for overall assessment of subject
Example:
“Can you summarize your experience with X today?” or “From your perspective, what is the most important thing to consider in the design of X?”
- Request comments regarding topics not raised by moderator
Example:
“What comments do you have on topics we didn’t cover today?” or “What else should I have asked?”
