Theory
The question that ruins the answer
You sit a first-year down to learn about FestConnect and ask: "You found the registration easy, didn't you?"
They nod. Of course they do: you clearly WANT a yes, and they are being polite. You have learned nothing except how agreeable they are.
Interviewing is a SKILL, and it is mostly about NOT corrupting the truth you came to find. The wrong question plants its own answer; the right one lets the user's reality emerge. This lesson is how to ask so that people tell you the truth.
At a glance
Bad question vs good question
| Instead of (bad) | Ask (good) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Was it easy? (yes/no) | Walk me through how you registered. | Open questions reveal detail; yes/no reveals nothing |
| You found it confusing, right? (leading) | What was that step like for you? | Leading plants the answer; neutral gets the truth |
| Would you use this app? (hypothetical) | Tell me about the last event you signed up for. | Real past behaviour beats imagined futures |
| Do you like the blue button? (narrow) | How did you decide what to tap? | Broad questions surface unexpected insights |
Theory
The core techniques
A handful of habits separate a useful interview from a wasted one:
- open-ended questions: how, why, tell me about: not questions answerable with yes/no
- no leading: never smuggle the answer into the question
- past behaviour over hypotheticals: "the last time you..." beats "would you..." (people are terrible at predicting their own future behaviour: the say-do gap)
- listen more than you talk: the user should do most of the talking; you are there to learn, not to explain
- probe: follow interesting answers with "why?", "tell me more"
- stay neutral: no reactions that signal a "right" answer; embrace silence and let them fill it
Follow along
Running an interview, start to finish
- Prepare Define what you want to learn; write a discussion guide of open questions (a guide, not a rigid script).
- Recruit the right people Real target users (actual first-years for FestConnect), not your friends or yourself.
- Build rapport Start with easy, friendly questions; put them at ease; explain there are no wrong answers.
- Ask open, probe deep Open questions about real experiences; follow up with 'why?' and 'tell me more'; use silence.
- Stay neutral, do not sell Do not defend or pitch your product; do not react as if there is a right answer.
- Wrap up and analyse Thank them; then find patterns across interviews to feed personas and requirements.
Quiz
Which interview question is most likely to yield trustworthy insight?
- You'd love a faster registration, wouldn't you?
- Tell me about the last time you registered for something online.
- Do you like our new design? Yes or no?
- Don't you think the old form was confusing?
- Would you use this app every day in the future?
Show the answer
Tell me about the last time you registered for something online.
Asking about a real, specific PAST experience ('the last time you registered') gets grounded, truthful, detailed data: what they actually did, not what they imagine or what you want to hear. Options A and D are LEADING (they plant the desired answer). Option C is a closed yes/no that reveals nothing and invites politeness. Option E is HYPOTHETICAL, and people predict their own future behaviour badly (everyone says they'll use it daily; few do): the say-do gap. The winning technique: open questions about concrete past behaviour, asked neutrally.
Think first
Why silence is a technique
A user finishes a short answer and you feel an awkward pause. The instinct is to jump in with the next question. Why should you WAIT instead? Then tap.
Show the answer
Because silence is where the REAL answer often lives. People give a quick surface reply, then, if you wait, they elaborate, correct themselves, or reveal the thing they were hesitant to say: 'well, actually, what really bothered me was...'. Rushing to the next question cuts that off. A few seconds of comfortable silence invites the user to fill it with depth. This is the counter-intuitive heart of interviewing: your JOB is mostly to listen, and doing LESS (not filling every pause, not talking, not reacting) gets you MORE. The best interviewers are quiet.
Watch out
Interview slips
Leading questions: the top sin: 'you found it confusing, right?' teaches you nothing but agreeableness.
Hypotheticals: 'would you use this?' invites unreliable prediction; ask about the real past.
Talking too much: if you are explaining or defending your design, you are not learning; listen.
Yes/no questions: they close the door; open with how/why/tell-me.
Interviewing the wrong people: friends and yourself are not the target users.
Theory
Asking is not enough: watch them use it
Interviews are powerful, but they still rely on what people SAY: and the say-do gap means saying is only half the truth. The other half comes from WATCHING users actually attempt tasks with your design, which is USABILITY TESTING: Unit 2's final method, previewed next, then given its full process in Unit 5. Interviews tell you what users think; usability tests show you what actually happens when they touch the product.
Summary
Key takeaways
- A user interview is a qualitative conversation to uncover needs, behaviours, motivations and pain points.
- Ask open-ended questions (how/why/tell me about), never yes/no.
- Avoid leading questions that plant the answer; stay neutral, no signalling a 'right' reply.
- Ask about real past behaviour ('the last time you...') rather than hypotheticals ('would you...').
- Listen far more than you talk; probe with 'why?' and 'tell me more'; use silence.
- Process: prepare a guide, recruit real target users, build rapport, ask + probe, stay neutral, wrap up, analyse.
- Memory hook: the best interviewer is quiet, curious, and never leads the witness.