User research interviews are a form of qualitative research method. They help you learn more about:
- different types of participants
- their circumstances
- how they use a service
- what they need from the service
The purpose of an interview is to learn more about a specific topic by asking targeted questions.
To ensure success, you must define the topic and goal of the interview. You must also choose a representative group of participants that use the service you are researching.
When to conduct a user research interview
User research interviews are helpful when you want to:
- learn more about your participants, including aspects of their lives and everyday experiences
- gain a deeper understanding of pain points and challenges
- explore what people want and need from a service
- find out how to make services better for those that use them
Planning the interview
Plan your interviews ahead of time. Ensure that your interviews allow you to find the answers to your research questions.
You would normally do a user research interview with one participant at a time. However, you can speak to participants in pairs or small groups if they use or provide a service together.
Interviews can typically take between 30 minutes to 2 hours. This will depend on the complexity of the subject and the number of questions you have to ask.
When planning your interview, you will need to think about:
- recruiting your participants
- making sure that any venue or platform used is accessible for participants
- arranging for interpreters or assistants to help participants that might need them
- deciding if and how you want to record the interview
- arranging for a note-taker to attend
- inviting observers to watch
Designing the interview
To create an interview structure that works well, you should:
- review the research questions that you want answered
- think about any processes or technology that you want to understand more about
- list the topics you want to cover
- order the questions in a logical flow
To create a useful discussion guide, include:
- an introduction script which helps explains to the participant who you are and about the research
- a planning checklist – it will make sure you have everything you need on the day, such as technology required
- the interview topics including your questions and instructions for any activities
You can use your discussion guide to:
- stay on track during interviews – this will help ensure you have covered all the important areas of your research
- make sure that interviewers cover the same topics so participants have a consistent experience
- maintain a record of what you do in this round of research
You can find the template to our discussion guide here.
You should test your questions and structure by interviewing a colleague. This is also known as running a pilot interview.
This will give you the opportunity to receive feedback and revise your questions if you need to.
During the interview
Once you have started the session and the participant is settled:
- get the participant’s informed consent – the participant may have already completed a consent form prior to the session, so check that you have this
- use your discussion guide and start to run through it
- make your participant feel comfortable – start with a few general questions to help them relax
- take time to adjust to their conversation pace and style
Think about your discussion guide and get your participant talking with open, neutral questions like:
- “How do you…?”
- “What are the different ways you…?”
- “What do you think about…?”
Encourage them to give more detail with simple follow-up questions like:
- “You said… when/why/who was that?”
- “Can you tell me more about…?”
- “In what way…?”
Make sure that you:
- focus on stories and real life examples – avoid generalities and talking about how things ‘should’ happen
- listen – make eye contact and show interest in what the participant is saying
- build rapport with participants – be accommodating and keep your body language open
- understand what the participant has said – ask follow-up questions if you are not sure
- take time to adjust to the participant’s conversation pace and style
- do not talk too much – the more you talk, the less your participant will
Do not:
- change the flow of the interview – if a participant goes off-topic, wait for a natural break and then bring them back to the original question
- stick to your discussion guide rigidly – let the conversation develop naturally and be open to any new or interesting issues that come up
- ask leading questions
- try to educate your participants – you are there to learn, not to teach
After the interview
Reserve time at the end of the session to:
- ask follow-up questions about anything the participant said you did not clearly understand
- bring in your observer or note-taker to ask any questions they had for the participant
- check if the participant has any final thoughts about the topics you have discussed
Once you have finished:
- thank the participant for their time
- explain what will happen with your research
- ask the participant what they thought of the session, so that you can improve next time
If you have finished for the day:
- make sure that any personal data you have collected (on paper or in recordings) is stored securely on the Birmingham City Council systems
- pack away your equipment