Interviewing Users

To design for users, you must begin with a deep understanding of users.

To design for users, you must begin with a deep understanding of users. If you don't already have that understanding, you need to do some form of user research. User-centered design is now the norm in many industries, but truly understanding users requires going beyond assumptions and directly engaging with them. Interviewing allows designers and researchers to: Uncover unmet needs and pain points that users may not explicitly state Gain context around how products or services fit into users' lives Challenge internal assumptions and biases about users Generate innovative ideas based on real user insights Effective interviewing involves more than just asking questions - it requires careful preparation, active listening, and synthesis of findings. When done well, user interviews can provide invaluable insights that drive product strategy and innovation.

Check your worldview at the door. Suspend judgment and approach each interview with an open mind. This allows you to: Truly hear and understand the participant's perspective Notice details and insights you may have otherwise missed Build rapport and trust with the participant Practical ways to embrace the participant's worldview: Use their language and terminology, even if it differs from your own Ask about their processes and reasoning without presuming you know the answers Be curious about apparent contradictions rather than trying to resolve them Restrain the urge to educate or correct the participant By setting aside your own assumptions and expertise, you create space to learn something genuinely new and unexpected from each interview.

Leading the interview successfully comes down to you. Go ahead and refer to the field guide as you need to, but don't let it run the interview. Balance structure and spontaneity in your approach: Develop a detailed interview guide with key questions and topics Allow the conversation to flow naturally, following interesting threads Use the guide as a reference, not a strict script Key preparation steps: Define clear research objectives with stakeholders Create a screening process to recruit appropriate participants Prepare any stimuli or activities to use during the interview Plan logistics like location, recording equipment, and consent forms During the interview, be prepared to deviate from your plan. The most valuable insights often come from unexpected directions, so remain attentive and follow up on intriguing comments or behaviors.

You need a broad set of question types in order to make this happen. Craft questions strategically to elicit rich, detailed responses: Start with broad, open-ended questions to understand context Follow up with more specific probes to clarify and expand on key points Use a variety of question types to explore different aspects of the topic Effective question types: Descriptive: "Can you walk me…