Mastering Research Interviews for Product Design

Introduction

A research interview is a structured conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee, designed to gather in-depth information. While the interviewer guides the dialogue through carefully crafted questions, the interviewee provides valuable insights by responding to them. These interviews can be conducted through various methods, such as face-to-face meetings, voice calls, or video calls. The primary objective is to collect qualitative data to inform product design decisions.

Strategies for Interview Preparedness

Effective preparation is critical for conducting successful research interviews. Being well-organised, in both practical and mental terms, allows you to focus on achieving your interview goals. Below are some recommended best practices to ensure you’re optimally prepared for your research interviews.

Allocate around one hour for each interview session. This gives you ample time to explore topics in depth without causing fatigue for either party.
When scheduling multiple interviews back-to-back, allow a minimum of a 15-minute buffer in between to account for potential overruns and to give yourself time to recoup.
Conduct a thorough check of your hardware and software ahead of time to avoid technical difficulties during the interview.
Always record your interviews for later analysis; just ensure you gain the interviewee’s consent beforehand.
Approach the conversation with an open and unbiased mindset, creating a safe space for the interviewee to share. • Be mindful of your own biases and preconceptions, as these can subtly influence the direction of the interview.

Formulating Interview Questions

Establish a Specific Objective

It’s crucial to define a precise objective for the interview to ensure its success. Broad aims, such as “Understanding how customers create content,” can dilute the focus and lead to unproductive conversations. A more targeted goal might be: “Explore customers’ emotional responses to content creation, pinpoint perceived issues, and solicit suggestions for improvements.” Having a well-defined objective will aid in framing more focused questions.

Breaking the ice

Before diving into the structured parts of your interview, it’s often beneficial to engage in a few minutes of casual conversation with your interviewee. This “ice-breaking” phase can achieve several crucial outcomes. Firstly, it puts the interviewee at ease, alleviating some of the nervous energy that often accompanies formal interviews. Secondly, it sets the tone for a more collaborative, less interrogative exchange. This helps both parties relax and fosters a more conducive environment for open dialogue.

During this time, consider discussing topics that are light but perhaps tangentially related to the subject matter of the interview. The aim here is not to gather data, but to establish rapport and create a comfortable, confident atmosphere for the interview proper. Once this phase concludes, you can smoothly transition into your grand tour question.

The Grand Tour Question

Initiating the interview with a grand tour question serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it allows the participant to ease into the conversation, fostering a more relaxed atmosphere. Secondly, it helps you to build rapport with the participant. After asking a grand tour question, it becomes easier to delve into more specific, targeted inquiries thereafter.

Some examples of effective grand tour questions include:

Could you walk me through a typical day in your role?
Describe the process you follow to complete a routine task at work.
What does your usual workflow for a project look like?
Can you take me through how you usually interact with a customer?
Tell me about your most recent project—what were the key steps involved?

After your participant answers the grand tour question, you can smoothly transition to more specific examples, exploring details that will be critical for your research.

Crafting the Right Types of Interview Questions

Navigating a research interview isn’t just about asking questions; it’s about asking the right types of questions. An insightful interview mixes various question types to capture a holistic view of the user experience. Each question type serves a specific purpose, aimed at eliciting a different kind of response or information from the interviewee. Below is a breakdown of the four main categories of interview questions to consider when preparing your research interview.

Understanding the User

Explore questions aimed at revealing the user’s interests and preferences. Another useful aspect to delve into is the interviewee’s academic and professional qualifications, as well as their current employment status. This provides a well-rounded understanding of who your users are, which could influence how they interact with your product.

Uncovering User Behaviour

Pose questions designed to identify how the user interacts with your product. This could include inquiring about the types of devices they use to access your product. Additionally, assess whether the user can complete tasks efficiently within the product environment. Understanding behaviour helps in refining the user interface and functionality.

Gaining User Perspective

Observe the user’s interaction with your product to understand their perception of your design solution. Solicit feedback on what the user likes, dislikes, and where they encounter difficulties. This section can yield insights that are highly valuable for design improvements.

Project-Specific Inquiries

Tailor questions to address project goals and expectations. Begin by evaluating the user’s ability to achieve their objectives with your product. Follow this by engaging the user in a discussion about potential improvements or changes. These questions are key in aligning your product with user needs and expectations.

Mastering the Art of Generic Inquiries: Questions for Any Research Context

Effective interviews strike a balance between well-prepared, focused questions and adaptable inquiries that can suit various contexts. These ‘universal’ questions provide valuable insights whether you’re delving into a particular feature or are at a more exploratory stage in your research. They work across the board, serving as a versatile toolkit to gauge user perspectives, struggles, and desires.

What was your go-to solution before adopting our product?
What compelled you to switch from your previous option to our offering?
What keeps you loyal to our product or service?
Can you pinpoint any standout aspects of Feature X?
What tasks do you find unexpectedly effortless?
Which actions do you find challenging or counterintuitive?
What’s the most frustrating aspect of attempting to solve Problem X?
On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate the difficulty or inconvenience of Problem X?
Describe the best solution you’ve ever encountered for Problem X.
If you had a magic wand, what product feature would you use it on?

Avoiding Problematic Questions

When crafting your interview questions, it’s crucial to avoid pitfalls that can compromise the quality and reliability of your gathered data. Incorrectly formulated questions can lead to misunderstandings, incomplete responses, or biased information. Here are some common types of problematic questions and how to sidestep these traps.

Compound Questions

Be cautious about asking compound or double-barrelled questions that cover multiple topics. Such questions are difficult for the interviewee to answer accurately.

For example:

Instead of: “Tell me about your email marketing experience and why you chose our product.”
Ask: “Tell me about your email marketing experience.” Followed by, “What led you to choose our product?”

Assumptive and Emotional Language

Eliminate embedded assumptions and emotional language from your questions, as they can induce biased or guarded responses.

For instance:

Instead of: “How happy are you with our product?”

Ask: “How do you feel about our product?”

Instead of: “What are the problems you encountered while uploading contacts?”

Ask: “Have you uploaded contacts using our product?” followed by “What was your experience using this feature?”

Leading Questions

Beware of leading questions that subtly encourage the interviewee to agree with the premise of the question. Such questions often contain the word ‘because’.

For example:

Instead of: “Did you have difficulty using our email designer because of the update?”
Ask: “Tell me about your experience using our updated email designer?”

Understanding the Limitations of Interviews

While interviews provide valuable insights into user experiences and perspectives, it’s essential to recognise their inherent limitations. Interviews capture only the subjective perceptions and feelings of participants about an interface, design, or feature. Consequently, the data collected through interviews can be considered conditional for several reasons.

Inaccuracy of Human Memory

Human memory is inherently fallible. Participants may unintentionally recall events inaccurately or misremember specific details, which can affect the quality of the data.

Limited Relevance Awareness

Interviewees may not fully understand what is relevant to your research goals. As a result, they may unintentionally omit important information or details that could be crucial to your study.

Divergent Experiences

Each participant’s experience is unique and influenced by various factors such as their background, prior knowledge, and personal preferences. This variance can make it challenging to draw universally applicable conclusions from interview data alone.

Mastering the Art of Interview Etiquette

Interview etiquette is not merely about following a set of formal rules; it’s about creating a comfortable and respectful atmosphere that fosters open dialogue. Ensuring that you arrive before your interviewee sets a punctual and professional tone for the session.

Begin by articulating the objectives of your research, as this not only helps in setting expectations but also fosters trust between you and the interviewee. For example, you might say, “I’m delighted you’re here to help us improve our product,” or “This interview is for internal use only, and we’d like to record it for better note-taking.”

Building rapport should start from the get-go. Treat the interviewee as the expert on their experiences, and never correct them. Employ their nomenclature and pronunciation, even if they deviate from what you consider correct. This shows respect for their expressions and facilitates a smoother conversation.

Active listening is crucial. Phrases like “So what you’re saying is…” can help you paraphrase what the interviewee is saying, ensuring clarity and showing that you are engaged. Give your interviewee 100% of your attention and resist the urge to finish their sentences for them.

Be prepared to address inconsistencies but do so in a non-confrontational manner. Silence, often underestimated, can be an effective tool. It gives the interviewee time to think and can often lead to more in-depth responses.

Verbalise your transitions to different topics to keep the interviewee engaged and to signal a shift in focus. For instance, “I’d like to go back to something you mentioned earlier,” or “I want to change course and talk about…” serve as gentle markers that guide the conversation.

Your choice of questions is also a part of good etiquette. Opt for open-ended questions such as “Could you tell me more about…” or “Why do you think that…” to encourage broader and more thoughtful answers. Avoid negative and double-negative questions, as these can be confusing and take longer to process. Keep in mind that not everyone is a native speaker of your language, so using straightforward language will generally yield better results.

Concluding the interview on a gracious note is equally important. A simple thank you for their time can go a long way in leaving a positive impression. By adhering to these etiquette guidelines, you’re more likely to conduct interviews that are not just effective in gathering data but also respectful and enjoyable for your participants.

Conclusion

Conducting an effective research interview requires more than just preparing a set of questions. It’s a holistic process that involves meticulous planning, the cultivation of a conducive environment, and a fine balance between structure and spontaneity. Keep these guidelines as a ready reference, and you’ll be well-equipped to extract valuable insights through interviews that are not only informative but also enriching for both parties involved.