User Interviews are a research method where the interviewer asks participants questions about a product or feature, listens to their responses and follows up with questions that allow participants to give greater context.
User Interviews can be conducted to gain a broad understanding of your customer base and create accurate User Personas, to understand user interactions with a specific feature or to discover inspiration for new features. In whatever scope they are used, they provide considerable context.
What tools are needed?
Different materials or tools are needed depending on the form of the interview. When interviews are conducted remotely they usually involve video conferencing tools or other online tools and when interviews are conducted in a participant’s natural environment it’s important to show respect to their space. Most commonly, a notetaking tool is used to record interview data. With a participant's consent, some device will be needed to record the interview.
Structure of an Interview
User Interviews are best conducted in a Semi-Structured manner. This involves a predefined set of questions asked in a flexible order with room to ask unplanned follow-up questions. This structure strikes a balance between getting data about a specific feature and allowing flexibility that both makes users comfortable and encourages users to share new parts of their experiences.
Locations for Interviews
Interviews are best conducted in a location that effectively simulates the participants’ use case. For products that are used in specific locales, Contextual Interviews conducted in the participants’ in that use environment provide more context to your product. However, virtual, remote interviews provide sufficient context for digital products.
What are the steps of User Interviews?
1. Before the Interview
a. Set your research goals- Define what you want to learn about your product or (intended) users.
b. Define the demographics of your interview participants- Define the demographic makeup and diversity of your participants.
c. Define questions to achieve qualitative research goals- Ask about how users discovered, onboarded, use and hope to use your product or feature.
d. Consider Location and Tools- Decide where to have your interview and what tools to use for notetaking or recording.
e. Consider Compensation- Determine what compensation is needed to incentivize participation and when to offer compensation.
f. Discuss and finalize your Research Guide with your team- Develop an understanding of participant recruitment, questions and note-taking/recording between interviewers, notetakers and stakeholders.
g. Prepare and Test your tech and other tools- Conduct a trial interview and refine your questions, location, tools and data collection.
2. Conducting the Interview
a. Start Easy- Introduce yourselves (interviewer and data collector) and the goals of your study. Let participants know you are looking for honest feedback and that their opinions are valued.
b. Address Privacy and Request Consent- It is important that you let participants know all data shared will be respected and kept private before conducting the interview. Also, make sure to get explicit consent before recording the interview.
c. Collect Data- Take notes or record the session using your preferred method or tool.
d. Keep the Momentum Going- Keep a comfortable flow with your participant. Allow them to continue sharing their experience when they’re on a roll and have your follow up questions ready for lulls in conversation. Prioritize your prepared questions as follow-ups before thinking up others on the fly. Really use your time to get valuable information.
e. Wrap it up nicely- Ask any final questions. Thank your participants for their time and their assistance. Get the information needed to send them the proposed incentives.
3. After the Interview
Key Considerations
Keep Shareholders Informed- Share and discuss your research plan and questions with shareholders as they can provide useful insights and feedback.
Be Friendly to Participants- Invest time to make your participants feel comfortable before beginning the interview process. After introducing yourselves, your first few questions should involve getting to know them.
Practice Active Listening- Make timely, short responses and reactions to your participant to let them know you’re listening and encourage them to continue sharing their experiences.
Be Conscious about Data- Make sure data is kept securely and only used in an appropriate manner for your research.
Key benefits of User Interviews
Giving your users a voice
Helping your team to build empathy for your users.
Potentially unlock new insights that will help you serve your users better.