User interviews: the basics

01What an interview is for

A user interview is a one-to-one conversation that helps a team understand people’s behaviour, context, needs and motivations. It is good at answering “why” and “how” questions that numbers alone cannot answer.

Its value depends on preparation. A vague session produces vague notes, so start with a goal and the right participants.

02Prepare before the session

1. Write the goal first. One sentence, for example: “Understand how people decide which course to join.” Every question should serve it.
2. Recruit the right people. Choose participants who match the situation you study, not whoever is easiest to reach. Friends and colleagues tend to be polite rather than candid.
3. Draft a short guide. A handful of open questions and possible follow-ups is enough. Treat it as a map, not a script.
4. Get consent. Explain the purpose, say how the data will be used, and ask permission before recording audio or video. Participants can stop at any time.

03Ask better questions

Open-ended questions invite stories. Closed questions invite “yes” or “no”. Ask about what people actually did in the past, because predictions about the future and hypothetical answers are unreliable.

• Weaker

  “Would you use a feature that saves your favourites?” (hypothetical and leading)

• Stronger

  “Tell me about the last time you looked for something to buy online.” (past behaviour)

• Weaker

  “Don’t you think the menu is confusing?” (leading)

• Stronger

  “What did you expect to happen when you tapped that?” (neutral)

• Avoid leading questions that hide the answer you hope to hear.
• Ask one question at a time and keep it short.
• Ask “why” gently, for example “What led to that?”

04Common mistakes to avoid

Most weak interviews fail for a few predictable reasons. Knowing them in advance makes them easier to prevent.

• Pitching instead of learning. Describing your idea and asking if people like it produces polite approval, not evidence.
• Asking for solutions. People are experts in their own problems, not in designing the answer. Ask about the problem and design the solution yourself.
• Treating one voice as the truth. A single interview is a story. Patterns appear across several sessions.
• Skipping the warm-up. Start with easy questions about the person’s context so they feel relaxed before the main topics.

After each session, spend a few minutes writing the main points while they are fresh, and finish by thanking the participant and explaining what happens next.

05Listen, follow up and take notes

Silence is a tool. After an answer, wait a few seconds; people often add the most useful detail when nobody interrupts. Follow-ups such as “Tell me more about that” or “What happened next?” go deeper without steering.

• Record with permission so you can focus on listening rather than typing.
• Write down what people said and did, separate from your interpretation.
• Capture exact phrases; they are useful later when writing copy and findings.

Talk less than the participant. If you are speaking most of the time, the session is not an interview.