Interviewing customers 101
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The document is a guide for interaction designers on how to conduct customer interviews effectively to understand user experiences and identify improvement opportunities. It outlines essential steps in the research process, including planning, conducting interviews, and reporting results, while emphasizing the importance of open-mindedness and active listening. Best practices are provided for formulating questions, engaging participants in conversation, and documenting insights.
Interviewing customers 101
- 1. REBECCA ROSE, INTERACTION DESIGNER, QUICKBOOKS XD TEAM INTERVIEWING CUSTOMERS 101
- 2. INTRODUCTION • To understand the current customer experience • What they really do, under what circumstances, etc. • To identify important customer problems • To identify opportunities for improvement • To identify opportunities to delight • To gain insights and inspiration WHY INTERVIEW CUSTOMERS? Customer Research Types Usability Testing Site Visits (E.g. Follow-Me Home) Customer Interviews Focus Groups
- 3. INTRODUCTION Hone your observation skills Avoid the most common mistakes that people make when interviewing customers GOALS
- 4. INTRODUCTION 1. Plan the study • Select broad questions you need answered and/or tasks to test • Find good participants • Write interview/field guide 2. Conduct the interviews • Run the sessions • Debrief with observers 3. Report and communicate results RESEARCH PROCESS
- 5. FIELD GUIDE
- 6. FIELD GUIDE THE INTERVIEW GUIDE (OR FIELD GUIDE) A detailed plan of what will happen in the interview • Questions, timing, tasks, etc. Transforms questions-we-want-answers-to into questions-we-will-ask Share with team to align on issues of concern Helps pre-visualize the flow of the interview
- 8. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 1. APPROACH WITH AN OPEN MIND Expect it will be messy. Don’t jump to conclusions. Be patient.
- 9. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 2. HAVE A CONVERSATION Instead of interviewing the person formally, try to have a conversation. Remember, we are there to learn from people, not judge.
- 10. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 3. ASK WHAT, WHO, WHY, HOW QUESTIONS Open-ended questions give you much richer responses than Yes/No Avoid leading questions that imply that you’re expecting a certain response Leading Wasn’t that frustrating? Are you trying to print? How valuable is it to be able to pay your bills? Open-ended How was that for you? What are you trying to do? How do you feel when you are able to pay your bills? What about when you can’t?
- 11. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 4. TEACH CUSTOMER TO “THINK ALOUD” “Can you tell me what you’re thinking?”
- 12. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 5. SHOW THAT YOU’RE ACTIVELY LISTENING Repeat the facts that you see. Reflect the thoughts and beliefs that you hear. “I heard you say that you would rather visit a large city than go to a beach for vacation. Did I get that right?”
- 13. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 6. PROBE FOR CLARIFICATION Avoid making assumptions about beliefs and values without clarifying “So you mentioned that you don’t set an alarm. Can you tell me why you don’t?” I don’t like my alarm clock “Why don’t you like your clock?” It was hard for me to fall asleep with it near my bed “Can you show me?” You see the numbers are so bright, especially with the lights off
- 14. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 7. MONITOR HOW MUCH YOU ARE TALKING If you spend too much time asking questions or verbally respond to everything the participant says, this may make them uncomfortable. Be comfortable with silence. Sometimes the most interesting stuff comes when you let things unfold naturally
- 15. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 8. HAVE THEM SHOW YOU When possible, ask them to show you what they are doing, rather than talk about it. Don’t be afraid to ask, “Can you show me how you do that?”
- 16. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 9. MIND YOUR NON-VERBAL CUES Non-verbal cues such as eye contact, nodding, and smiling reassure the person that you are engaged in what they’re saying.
- 17. RESEARCH ATTITUDE 10. DON’T GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER If you tell people what to do, you assess their ability to follow directions, rather than their ability to understand and use something. Don’t say First, you do this… Register the product (when the button says Register)
- 18. PRACTICE
- 19. PRACTICE ACTIVITY: EARLY MORNING ROUTINE 1. Pair up 1. One person: Tell the story of coming to work this morning (starting when you woke up) 2. Other person: Use active listening techniques to identify the pain-points in their morning, and understand the root cause of those pain-points 3. Switch 2. Group Discussion
- 20. COMMITMENTS
- 21. Each person attends at least 2-3 Follow Me Homes Start off the conversation by asking them about their business and then observe whatever it is the business would normally do that day Take notes and PICTURES! Document insights Fill out debrief form immediately after Consolidate everyone’s notes into one slide together Upload slides and photos to share drive 21 COMMITMENTS
- 23. NAME, COMPANY NAME: TYPE OF BUSINESS (WHAT THEY DO IN A BIT MORE DETAIL…) Enterprise SW Purchase Date FSP/Gold/Silver/ Platinum Other service Payroll Payments Customer Profile Picture A brief story about a moment during your visit What you saw that surprised you 23
- 24. Big insight that you want to call out _ Details _ Nuances _ Details Big insight that you want to call out _ Details _ Nuances _ Details Big insight that you want to call out _ Details _ Nuances _ Details Big insight that you want to call out _ Details _ Nuances _ Details Summary/Insights/Implications Picture Picture Key Observation #1 Key Observation #2 Key Observation #3 24 NAME, COMPANY NAME: TYPE OF BUSINESS (WHAT THEY DO IN A BIT MORE DETAIL…)