Can you expand on that?
Four tips for having the kind of user interviews that will make your UX squeal
This article is day 13 of a 31 day series. A mash-up of the Inktober 2022 prompt list and UX terminology. Read more about the challenge here.
Day 13 | Inktober prompt: Kind | UX Term: User Interviews
Thanks a lot grandpa
A friend told me once that when he was a kid his grandpa used to tell him that he had kind hair. Which he followed up with “the kind of hair that grows on a pigs ass.” That’s grandpa’s for you. So whether you agree with his statement or not, he does prove a point. The word “kind” can mean all kinds of things. Kind of neat right? And it also supports the idea that we don’t ever want to assume that we know exactly what someone is thinking, unless they tell us exactly what they’re thinking. And it’s this same idea we want to keep in mind during user interviews.
What is a User Interview?
User interviews are a method of research in user experience design that helps user researchers understand how individual users think. Most of us have been involved in an interview to some capacity, whether we’re applying for a job, or meeting our significant other’s family for the first time. The way we see it most often is submitting to a series of questions. But to have a successful user interview, there are a few other key aspects to keep in mind.
Listen up — Your most valuable asset during a user interview is your ability to listen. Not just to hear, though that helps, but to listen to and absorb what it is they’re saying.
Yes, no yes/no questions — Keep your questions open-ended. We’re not looking to fill out a checklist, we want to hear stories. When you ask open-ended questions, they’ll usually start with who, what, where, when, why or how, instead of “do you” or “would you”.
Please note that on occasion you may need to ask a close-ended question, to clarify a point of understanding, or to wrap up a line of questioning that has taken you outside of the topic at hand. Be strategic about it is all I ask.
Don’t lead the witness — There is a fine line between avoiding the inevitable social awkwardness that would occur if you just sat staring at your interviewee, and guiding an interviewee to answer a question a certain way. Try to find a balance. They need to know that you’re listening, and that you actually heard what they said. But you don’t want them trying to give you the answer they think you want.
Here’s one example:
Researcher: How do you track your time throughout the day?
Interviewee: I usually write it in a notebook.
R: That’s great, thanks for sharing that, very interesting. Anything else?
I: Yeah, I’m just super into writing things in notebooks. I get cool pens….
Let’s stop there. The interviewee obviously feels that they’ve hit the jackpot. You’re happy with their answer, so they’re happy with their answer, and now they’re just all about it. But what if…
R: How do you track your time throughout the day?
I: I usually write it in a notebook.
R: (nods) Okay, can you expand on that?
I: Yeah, it’s just the easiest way. I’ve tried digital options but then I forget about them. With a notebook, I always see it there.
Now we’re talking! By avoiding inserting an opinion about the response, and opening it up for additional detail, we now have a better idea of why they do what they do (it’s easy), what else they’ve tried (digital options), and some idea of their preference (seeing it there).
While I’ve built this example to support my argument I’ll explain a little more so you can at least learn the lesson. People are sometimes nervous in an interview, even when there is nothing on the line. We want people to be happy with us, it’s human nature. So if we get the sense we got something right, we want to keep getting things right.
As the interviewer you get to frame this by distinguishing that this is not an interview in a traditional sense. There won’t be a job for them at the end if they answer correctly. This also isn’t for publication, you’re not trying to break some juicy story and get them to expose all of their secrets. Instead this is you, sitting in front of a user, asking them to teach you.
Do the job — it’s your job to understand what it is that they do and what’s important to them. At this point you shouldn’t even be thinking about solutions to their problems. You won’t even have a clear idea of what that might be until you’ve talked with a lot more people. What you need to clearly understand is their experience, the pains, the joys, all of it.
Why is it important to UX?
In user experience, we make the most impactful improvements when we fully understand the space. If we go immediately into designing solutions, even well-intentioned and informed by best practices, we run the risk of completely missing an opportunity to elevate the experience in meaningful ways.
Takeaway
If you find yourself gearing up for user interviews, remember that you have great influence over how that plays out. Use that influence for good, and you’ll gather valuable insights to support your future design decisions.
More than anything, don’t try to be perfect. If you’re doing your best, and keeping what we learned today in mind, you’ll get there, even with a few mis-steps here or there. Each interview will be a learning opportunity in some way, either about the topic at hand, or about improving your approach for the next time.
And always always always be a kind interviewer. The kind that puts away their own bias and assumptions and listens.
