Creating A User Experience Interview Guide

A good survey works like a therapy session. You don’t begin by asking for deep truths, you guide the person gently through context, emotion, and interpretation. When done in the right sequence, your questions help people articulate thoughts they didn’t even realize they had. Most UX surveys fall short not because users hold back, but because the design doesn’t help them get there. They capture behavior and preferences but often miss the emotional drivers, unmet expectations, and mental models behind them. In cognitive psychology, we understand that thoughts and feelings exist at different levels. Some answers come automatically, while others require reflection and reconstruction. If a survey jumps straight to asking why someone was frustrated, without first helping them recall the situation or how it felt, it skips essential cognitive steps. This often leads to vague or inconsistent data. When I design surveys, I use a layered approach grounded in models like Levels of Processing, schema activation, and emotional salience. It starts with simple, context-setting questions like “Which feature did you use most recently?” or “How often do you use this tool in a typical week?” These may seem basic, but they activate memory networks and help situate the participant in the experience. Visual prompts or brief scenarios can support this further. Once context is active, I move into emotional or evaluative questions (still gently) asking things like “How confident did you feel?” or “Was anything more difficult than expected?” These help surface emotional traces tied to memory. Using sliders or response ranges allows participants to express subtle variations in emotional intensity, which matters because emotion often turns small usability issues into lasting negative impressions. After emotional recall, we move into the interpretive layer, where users start making sense of what happened and why. I ask questions like “What did you expect to happen next?” or “Did the interface behave the way you assumed it would?” to uncover the mental models guiding their decisions. At this stage, responses become more thoughtful and reflective. While we sometimes use AI-powered sentiment analysis to identify patterns in open-ended responses, the real value comes from the survey’s structure, not the tool. Only after guiding users through context, emotion, and interpretation do we include satisfaction ratings, prioritization tasks, or broader reflections. When asked too early, these tend to produce vague answers. But after a structured cognitive journey, feedback becomes far more specific, grounded, and actionable. Adaptive paths or click-to-highlight elements often help deepen this final stage. So, if your survey results feel vague, the issue may lie in the pacing and flow of your questions. A great survey doesn’t just ask, it leads. And when done right, it can uncover insights as rich as any interview. *I’ve shared an example structure in the comment section.

You know that feeling when you use a product or app and it just clicks? Everything seems intuitive, easy to navigate, and you get what you need done effortlessly. But then there are those other experiences that make you want to tear your hair out in frustration. What's the difference? It all comes down to usability. The products that just "get you" have gone through rigorous usability testing during their development. Creating a solid usability test script is absolutely important for building an amazing user experience. It goes beyond simply checking if users can navigate your interface; it's about understanding their thought process, struggles, and successes. Here's how to create a script that gets you out of the build trap and into the minds of your users: 1. Define Your Objectives: Start with the end in mind. What do you want to learn from this usability test? Are you testing a new feature, the overall workflow, or the clarity of your content? Be specific. Your objectives will shape your script and ensure you're measuring the right things. 2. Craft Realistic Scenarios: Put your users in the driver's seat with scenarios that mimic real-life tasks. This isn't about leading them to the 'right' answer; it's about observing their natural behavior. What paths do they take? Where do they stumble? Their journey is a goldmine of insights. 3. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Your script should encourage users to think aloud. Ask questions that prompt explanation, not just yes or no answers. "What are you thinking right now?" "How does this feature make you feel?" These questions reveal the 'why' behind user actions. 4. Include Probing Questions: Be ready to dig deeper. When a user hesitates or expresses frustration, that's your cue to explore. "Can you tell me more about that?" "What were you expecting to happen?" These moments are where you'll find the most valuable feedback. 5. Stay Neutral: Your script is not a sales pitch. Avoid leading questions that sway users toward a particular response. You're there to learn from them, not to validate your own assumptions. 6. Pilot Your Script: Test your script with a colleague or friend before going live with users. This dry run will help you refine your questions and ensure the flow feels natural. Remember, the script is not set in stone. If during the test you spot an opportunity to dive deeper into a user's thought process, go for it. The script is a guide, not a script. Stay curious, stay flexible. A great usability test script is the difference between finding out that your users are struggling and understanding why they're struggling. It's the difference between making assumptions and making informed decisions. Your users—and your product—deserve it. Download our comprehensive PDF guide below on crafting your own usability test script to conduct effective tests and elevate your product's user experience. #UsabilityTesting #ProductDevelopment #ProductInstitute

Over-structuring a user interview can kill organic discovery. While planning a user interview, keep this balance in mind: 70% structure, 30% exploration. 📐70% is a structured framework Build a discussion guide with clear objectives. Define your must-have insights. Map your key questions. If you’re researching a checkout flow, plan questions about payment methods, form fields, and error states. 📐30% is where the magic happens Leave a little room for the unexpected. A user mentions they switch between mobile and desktop mid-checkout? Follow that thread. That passing comment about why they never use feature X? Dig deeper. It could lead to a breakthrough insight! 💡Pro tip: Start with a 60-minute timer, but only plan for 45. Keep the extra 15 minutes for spontaneous tangents. Have a list of probing questions ready, but choose your own adventure as it happens. Here’s a useful discussion guide template to bookmark: https://lnkd.in/dXcZqJDY I send a newsletter out every fortnight filled with best-in-the-biz tips for researchers. Don’t miss out, sign up here: https://lnkd.in/daufT7SJ

I've been conducting a lot of customer interviews in my client work - here's the set of questions I've locked on that seem to provide the best responses. ① What’s your role and how are you involved with [company]? ② Who are the primary users of [company] at your company? ③ What challenges, pain points or unmet needs were you dealing with that [company] could solve for you? ④ How did you find [company]? ⑤ What other solutions did you consider before choosing [company]? ⑥ What was the primary reason for choosing [company]? What was that aha moment? ⑦ How did you get approval to purchase [company]? ⑧ Which of your original challenges / pain points did [company] solve for you? Did it solve any new challenges you hadn't considered? ⑨ What goals do you hope to achieve with [company]? ①⓪ How are you measuring the success of [company]? ①① How would you describe [platform] only using other tools in the same category? ①② How would you describe [platform] to a colleague? I use this as a guide only - most of the time we don't get to every question. I listen for something interesting and then dig deeper. But using these as starter questions should get you a lot of great info. What other questions would you add?