Part 3 (of 5) of the Qualitative UXR Playbook series
Conducting User interviews is one of the most effective methods in gathering qualitative data. While the process may seem straightforward—ask questions, get answers—conducting truly effective interviews requires careful preparation, active listening, and thoughtful questioning. In this 3rd instalment of our series Qualitative UXR Playbook, we’ll explore the art of leading and navigating User interviews that yield great insights for your studies.
Preparing for User interviews
As highlighted in Parts 1 & 2 of this series , without a clear plan, it’s easy to miss critical insights. Here’s how to prepare effectively:
Align to your research goals
Revisit the research goals from the research plan. Are you exploring why Users abandon their shopping carts or how they solve problems with your app? Clear objectives help prioritise key questions and keep interviews aligned with your research plan.
Create an interview guide
Interview guides provide you and your team with an organised flow of questions. These questions cover key topics to uncover User behaviours, goals, and pain points. Use questions like, “Can you describe a typical day when you use <arbitrary product/service>?”. While flexibility is important, the interview guide ensures all interviewers cover the same key topics and questions, which is vital for synthesis and affinity mapping later. Most likely you’ll have multiple interviewers in the same study. Using a shared guide allows for consistency in key questions.
Pilot the guide
Test your guide with a colleague or mock participant to refine phrasing, check for natural flow, and ensure objectives are covered. Piloting also aligns your team on the interview process, helping them adapt to participant responses while maintaining structure.
Managing the logistics
Smooth logistics are essential to conducting effective User interviews, beyond the conversations in interviews itself.
Set up the environment
Whether remote or in-person, test all tools and technology in advance. Ensure your video, audio, and any screen-sharing tools work reliably to avoid disruptions.
Assign roles
If you have team members, designate clear roles. For example, one person can act as the lead interviewer while another takes detailed notes or observes. This division of labour provides a smoother session and allows the interviewer to fully engage with the participant. Cross-functional colleagues or stakeholders (at least invite them as an option) can effectively take on roles such as note-taking or other tactical UX tasks. All of it leads to increasing more awareness of our approach – UX is a process.
“Interviewing is not about getting the answers you want. It’s about listening to what people say and how they say it.”
– Steve Portigal
Building rapport and creating a safe space
A successful interview hinges on establishing trust and making participants feel comfortable. When Users feel respected and valued, they’re more likely to share honest, meaningful insights.
Start with introductions
Begin by explaining the purpose of the interview, its structure, and how the data will be used. Reassure participants about confidentiality to create a sense of safety.
Use active listening
Show genuine interest in what participants share. Paraphrase their responses to confirm your understanding, reflect on their emotions, and encourage storytelling. For example, say, “It sounds like navigating this feature has been frustrating. Can you tell me more about that?”. “What motivates you to complete <specific task> in the way that you do?”.
Be culturally sensitive and accessible
Tailor your approach to each participant’s background, culture, and communication style. Make sure your language, tone, and format are welcoming and considerate, fostering an atmosphere where participants feel acknowledged, respected, and at ease. Easier said than done, I agree. Admittedly, achieving this balance is challenging—it’s where behavioural science intersects with the art of empathy and communication, requiring both skill and finesse to execute gracefully.
“When users feel that you genuinely care about their experiences, they open up in ways that scripted questions cannot achieve.”
– Karen Holtzblatt
Building rapport and creating a safe space is fundamental to fostering empathy, as emphasised by Karen Holtzblatt*. When participants feel heard and understood, they are more likely to share authentic insights. Several years ago, I had the privilege of participating in an ethnographic research workshop led by Karen. She’d explain the concept of “Airplane seat empathy”, where you’ve only just met the person (sitting next to you in an aircraft) but having genuine interest and attention to get to know the person. After all, the next several hours will be much more pleasant with an engaging conversation. It strikes a good balance of “getting-to-know-you” process with authentic intention. If done right, that person can be willing to tell you “everything” about her life without stilted barriers or formalities – from a UXer’s point of view in seeking rich information on a topic, this is ideal.
* Karen is an author and co-founder of Contextual Design
Techniques for effective questioning
The way you ask questions can make or break the quality of insights you gather. The below are effective questioning techniques help uncover deeper layers of understanding:
- Use open-ended questions: Questions like, “Can you walk me through how you complete this task?” encourage participants to provide detailed narratives and avoid simple yes/no answers.
- Follow-up with probing: When participants give surface-level responses, dig deeper by asking, “Why?” or “Can you tell me more about that?” This helps uncover motivations, emotions, and context behind their behaviours.
- Avoid assumptions: Frame questions neutrally to prevent bias. For example, instead of asking, “How often do you use this feature?” try, “Can you describe your experience with this feature?”. For more on crafting neutral questions, see this previous post.
“Good questions create a dialogue that reveals the user’s world, not just their actions.”
– Kim Goodwin
Post-interview follow-up
The work doesn’t end when the interview does. Capturing and organising insights immediately after the session is essential for meaningful analysis.
Immediate debrief
Right after the interview, gather your team to document key observations and discuss any unexpected insights. This quick debrief helps refine your approach for future sessions.
Organise data
There are online tools like Airtable, Dovetail or Notion to tag and categorise your findings. Organising your data early ensures you’ll have a solid foundation for analysis when synthesising insights later. For me Airtable (as of this writing) is a standout amongst them as it serves as a great customisable UX repository for future teams to seek and find the studies stored.
Reflecting on the power of User interviews
User interviews are not just about asking questions—they’re about listening with empathy to truly understand the User’s world. By preparing thoughtfully, creating trust and rapport with participants, and refining your questioning techniques, you can uncover the deeper insights to your studies.
Next in the series: Synthesising Data Collected—we’ll explore how to turn raw interview data into valuable insights that shapes your insights report which can translate well to your stakeholders.
This was Part 3 (of 5) of the Qualitative UXR Playbook series.
- View Part 1: Qualitative UXR Playbook
- View Part 2: Instrumentation & Recruitment – Setting the Stage for Effective User Interviews
Recommended further reading
- Just Enough Research by Erika Hall
- Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems by Karen Holtzblatt and Hugh Beyer
- Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights by Steve Portigal
