User interview guide: questions about real experiences

The guide connects the research goal to the conversation

The team wants to know why people put off uploading documents. Asking “What should we improve on the form?” quickly turns the conversation to interface ideas. Hearing about the last attempt first reveals what was going on for the person and where they ran into difficulty.

Before the interview, write down the decision you cannot yet make and the information you need. For example, should the application save unfinished drafts, or is finding the documents the main problem? That is the team's research question. Ask the participant to describe what happened in their own words.

Plan the conversation

1. Choose a specific episode

   Ask the person to recall the last time the relevant situation occurred. Find out when it happened and what triggered it. If the task has not come up for a long time, record that limitation and choose another real example without asking the person to make one up.

2. Follow the actions in order

   Ask how it started, what steps followed and how it ended. Find out what materials and tools the person used, who else was involved and when they switched tools. Instead of asking “Was it difficult?”, ask what they did next and where they needed help.

3. Prepare neutral follow-up questions

   Write short questions about why they chose an option, what they expected and what else they could do. Ask one at a time. “Why didn't you use that helpful feature?” already makes a judgment. Ask which options they saw.

4. Run a practice interview

   Use a short rehearsal to check whether terms are clear and topics come in a sensible order. Remove repeat questions and leave time to clarify and wrap up. At the start of the real interview, explain the purpose, format and how the recording will be used. At the end, ask what you missed.

Investigating an unfinished application

This is a fictional training example. The names, circumstances and outcomes are included solely to explain the method.

The response gives a specific sequence and two different circumstances. The document was somewhere else and the application status was unclear. Asking “Do you need a save button?” narrows the possible solution too soon.

Useful follow-ups include what the participant expected to see when she came back, how she checked whether the information had saved and whether she tried to continue on another device. This is one person's experience. Use the guide to investigate similar cases before generalizing.

Interview guide template for one topic

Separate required topics from optional follow-ups. During the interview, mark the topics you have covered without interrupting a useful account.

Team decision the research will inform:
What we don't know yet:
Who to ask and about which experience:
Introduction and recording consent:
Last real occurrence:
What triggered the task:
Steps and materials used:
Difficulty and workaround:
Outcome and consequences:
What is still unclear:
Closing question:

Review the questions before the interview

• The questions connect to the research goal.
• The wording does not suggest a preferred answer.
• There is room for an unexpected real example.
• Promises about future behavior are kept apart from past behavior.