To talk to users well, decide what you need to learn, invite people with relevant experience, and ask open questions about what they actually did. Use a discussion guide to keep the conversation on track—not to read a script—and listen closely enough to follow up on details that matter.
When user interviews are useful
In-depth interviews help you understand people’s circumstances, how they use a service, what they need, and where they encounter problems. They are especially useful when you need context behind a behavior or decision, rather than only a count of how often something happens. GOV.UK’s guidance on in-depth interviews describes them as a way to learn about users, their circumstances, service use, and needs.
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Choose the method to fit the question. An interview can uncover the context around a task; moderated usability testing can show what happens as someone attempts that task with a prototype or service. You can combine them if you need both explanation and observed behavior. Interviews are usually one-to-one, but a pair or small group can make sense when people use the service together. GOV.UK gives 30 minutes to two hours as a general planning range; the appropriate length depends on the complexity and number of questions, not on a fixed rule.
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Turn assumptions into research questions
Start with the decision or uncertainty the team needs to address. Write down what you believe about users, then turn those assumptions into questions that can be answered through their experience. Keep the guide focused on evidence relevant to the objective. In early discovery, questions may be broad and evolve as you learn; later work can investigate a more specific issue.
For example, instead of asking whether a new feature would be useful, investigate how people currently handle the situation it is meant to address: what triggers it, what they do, what gets in the way, and what outcome they seek. An interview can describe needs and reported behavior, but a hypothetical answer is not proof of what someone will do.
Recruit people with relevant experience
Invite current users or people likely to use the service who can speak to the situation you are studying. Seek useful variety within that group—for example, differences in circumstances, experience, or ways of accessing the service—rather than treating one participant as representative of everyone. Be clear about whom you need to hear from and why before recruitment begins.
Prepare the session responsibly
Choose a format and location that work for the participant and the subject. Consider accessibility, privacy, and whether an in-person or remote conversation is practical. Decide who will interview, who will take notes, and whether observers will attend. Tell participants who will be present and what their role is.
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Plan how you will explain the session, request consent, and handle any recording or notes. Collect only what you need and store personal information securely under your organization’s current privacy and consent policies. GOV.UK’s interview guidance covers consent, recording, note-taking, and secure handling; organizational requirements may differ, so follow the rules that apply to your work.
Build a flexible discussion guide
A guide gives the conversation coverage and helps you prepare neutral prompts. It is not a questionnaire to administer word for word. GOV.UK advises interviewers not to stick rigidly to the guide and to explore new, relevant issues; Nielsen Norman Group likewise distinguishes an interview guide from a fixed script.
- Opening and consent: Introduce yourself, explain the purpose and format, clarify recording and note-taking, and confirm the participant is comfortable proceeding.
- Context: Begin with broad questions about the participant’s situation or relevant experience.
- Core topics: Order the areas you need to understand, from general context toward specific events or tasks.
- Prompts and probes: Add optional follow-ups to clarify actions, decisions, obstacles, and outcomes.
- Close: Leave space to clarify a point, invite final thoughts, explain next steps, and thank the participant.
Pilot the guide with a colleague. Revise questions that are confusing, leading, repetitive, or hard to answer from real experience. Keep useful follow-ups available without requiring that every prompt be asked.
Ask about real experience, not the answer you hope to hear
Use open, neutral prompts
Questions beginning with “how,” “what,” or “tell me about” invite more than a yes-or-no answer. Ask about events, actions, and context rather than suggesting what the participant ought to think or do. Useful patterns include:
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- “How do you usually handle this?”
- “What are the different ways you do that?”
- “Can you tell me about the last time this happened?”
- “What happened next?”
- “You mentioned [a detail]. Can you tell me more about it?”
- “In what way did that affect what you did?”
Prefer a specific recent example to a prediction about a hypothetical future. GOV.UK recommends focusing on stories and real examples rather than generalities or accounts of how things “should” happen. A question such as “What did you do when you needed help?” is less leading than “Would a help button make this easier?”
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Listen, then probe
Give the participant time to think and finish. Follow up when a detail is unclear or important: ask what they meant, what prompted an action, who else was involved, or what happened after. A short pause is often more useful than filling every silence with another question.
Stay alert to unexpected but relevant information. If a participant raises an issue that could explain their experience, explore it before returning to the guide. Keep your own interpretations separate from what the person actually said or did; do not turn a tentative explanation into a fact without checking it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Run the conversation without steering it
- Settle in: Make the opening clear and respectful. Confirm consent and any practical details before moving into the subject.
- Start broad: Ask an easy context question, then move toward the experiences tied to your research objective.
- Follow the participant’s pace: Adapt the order, skip prompts already answered, and allow a useful detour when it reveals relevant context.
- Keep your questions neutral: Avoid wording that embeds a preferred answer or makes the participant feel judged.
- Focus on the participant: Do not multitask. Listen for specifics, take concise notes, and probe where an answer needs clarification.
- Manage observers: Explain their role in advance and avoid letting a group of observers turn the session into a panel interview. If they have questions, have the interviewer choose and ask them in a way that preserves the conversation.
Close the session and handle the material
Before ending, check whether you need to clarify anything the participant said. Invite any final thoughts or questions, explain what happens next, and thank them for their time. Afterward, organize notes and recordings so the team can distinguish direct observations and participant statements from interpretations. Limit access to personal data and store it securely according to the applicable policy.
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- Leading questions: They signal the answer you expect. Replace them with neutral prompts about what happened.
- Reading a script rigidly: It can prevent useful follow-up. Use the guide for coverage, not as a required sequence.
- Talking too much: Long explanations and repeated questions leave less room for the participant’s account.
- Moving on too quickly: A brief probe may reveal what a vague statement means or what happened next.
- Redirecting abruptly: Acknowledge the participant’s point and explore it if it may matter before returning to your planned topic.
- Multitasking: Divided attention makes it easier to miss details and weakens rapport.
- Unmanaged observers: Too many visible or active observers can change the feel of the session. Set expectations and keep one interviewer responsible for the conversation.
Further reading
Steve Portigal’s Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights, second edition, includes material on bias, remote research, ResearchOps, planning, and logistics. See the publisher’s page for the second edition.
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