3 tips to improve your User Interviews
User interviews can be a brilliant method to capture in-depth, qualitative research if they’re done well. Leading successful, useful interviews with quality insights can be challenging and is a skill in itself.
Here’s a few handy tips on how you could improve them.
Make your participants feel at home
A big part of gathering real, honest and useful insights to your qualitative data is to create and foster an environment where your participants feel comfortable enough to speak honestly about their experiences in the first place.
If you’re new to conducting user research, it can be intimidating when it comes to leading your first user interview. Don’t despair! You’ve got this. Just remember that your participant is probably just as excited and curious about what’s going to happen, as you are about finding out the results! Especially if it’s their first time visiting a research lab or a digital studio. Remember they are another human being, just like you — so no need to fear.
Treat your research space as if it were your home. Ensure it’s well kept, presentable, cosy, and well lit. Imagine you’re inviting someone into your home, you’d probably ask if they’d like a cup of tea, ask them to take a seat on a comfortable coach with a pillow and ask them how their day was. You can do exactly the same in this scenario. Make your introduction feel familiar to your participants so that they don’t feel like they’re about to be interrogated in a test.
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When someone feels relaxed, they are more likely to spend the time providing detailed, thoughtful answers. If they feel uncomfortable, they are more likely to rush their answers and be thinking about the next thing they have to do later that afternoon. A happy and comfortable participant means more in-depth, interesting answers and better quality results!
Look for hidden clues
Sometimes people say what they think they want you to hear, instead of what they actually want to say. Look for clues around this. If they hesitate or pause for a moment, it’s good to take note of this. What were they doing when they paused? Give them a little time, and simply observe at first, then probe a little and ask them to talk you through what they’re thinking. This is your moment to ask, why they reached that conclusion. Participants may not necessarily tell you the answers you need to know straight away. They need you to ask questions in the right places, to help them reveal their thought process. Of course, always be sure not to lead your participant as this could skew your results.
Other clues may present themselves in different forms. For example, their body language. This can tell you a lot about how the participant is feeling. If they look tense, remind them that this is not a test and that there is no right or wrong answer, to ensure they’re feeling comfortable again.
Imagine you’re a detective. The mystery won’t solve itself and it’s up to you to spot the clues and then lace them together to get closer to a potential conclusion.
Photo by João Silas on Unsplash
Get better at managing your time
When you are well prepared, your time is much easier to manage. Ensure you have your interview guide ready to go.
With so many considerations to take into account during a user interview, it can be easy to spend too much time on a specific task.
Instead, get specific on how much time you’d like to spend on each task. Go back to your original interview goals and identify which of these goals are a priority. Ensure you cover your top 3 priorities throughout the interview, then allow enough space in your schedule for interesting tangents in conversation.
These tangents may be moments in conversations that pop up unexpectedly. These are usually where you’ll discover your most interesting findings, which could be your key to unveiling a new business opportunity, so allow time for them to appear naturally.
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Conclusion
So in conclusion, 3 ways you could improve your user interviews are:
Make your participants feel at home
Look for hidden clues
Get better at managing your time
Remember your participants are your guests, watch out for those hidden clues, prioritise your top goals and let the conversation flow naturally. I hope these tips will help you find a little more ease to lead better, more insightful and meaningful user interviews.