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When it comes to UX research, interviews are one of the most powerful tools in your toolkit. They allow you to dive deep into the minds of your users, uncovering motivations, behaviours, and pain points that often remain hidden through other research methods. But the success of user interviews hinges on one thing: asking the right questions.
In this blog, we’ll explore how mastering the art of asking questions can transform your UX research and lead to more meaningful, actionable insights.
Why Are Interviews So Valuable in UX Research?
Interviews provide a level of depth and nuance that’s difficult to achieve with surveys or analytics alone. While quantitative data can tell you what users are doing, interviews help you understand why they’re doing it. They offer a direct line to users' thought processes, emotions, and the context behind their decisions.
Unlike other methods, interviews also give you the flexibility to adapt. If an answer leads to a surprising insight, you can ask follow-up questions, exploring that topic in more depth. This iterative conversation helps uncover insights you might not have initially considered.
Crafting Questions: The Key to a Successful Interview
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions encourage users to provide detailed answers, sharing their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. They allow for richer responses compared to yes/no or multiple-choice questions.
Instead of asking: "Do you like this feature?"
Ask: "Can you tell me about a time when you used this feature? What worked well, and what didn’t?"
This type of question encourages users to share specific experiences, giving you a deeper understanding of how your product fits into their lives.
Avoid Leading Questions
A common pitfall in UX research interviews is asking leading questions—questions that subtly push the user towards a specific answer. Leading questions can bias your results and give you inaccurate insights.
Instead of asking: "How easy was it to navigate the homepage?"
Ask: "How did you feel about navigating the homepage?"
This phrasing ensures you’re not assuming the experience was easy and allows the user to give an honest answer.
Encourage Storytelling
People remember experiences through stories, and those stories often reveal valuable insights into user behaviour and preferences. Encouraging users to tell stories helps you gain context and understand how they interact with your product in the real world.
Ask questions like: "Can you walk me through the last time you used our product?"
By asking for stories, you uncover the broader context of their experience, which can reveal hidden opportunities for improvement.
Use Probing Questions
Sometimes, users may give brief or surface-level answers. In these cases, follow-up questions are your best friend. Probing questions helps you dig deeper, uncovering the reasoning behind a user’s response.
Follow up with: "Why do you think that feature worked well for you?"
Probing allows you to get past the initial answer and uncover the motivations or frustrations driving user behaviour.
Be Comfortable with Silence
Silence can feel awkward, but in interviews, it’s often golden. When you give users a moment of silence, they’ll often fill it with additional thoughts or insights. This extra information can be incredibly valuable.
After asking a question, let the user think for a few seconds. Resist the urge to jump in right away. The silence gives them space to reflect and provide more thoughtful answers.
Listening: The Unsung Hero of UX Interviews
As much as asking great questions matters, listening is equally important. When conducting interviews, listen not just to the words your users are saying, but also to what’s behind them. Pay attention to their tone, body language (if it’s a video interview), and pauses. These non-verbal cues can reveal emotions or attitudes that users may not express directly.
For example, a user might say they like a feature, but if their tone is hesitant or they pause before answering, it may indicate they have mixed feelings. In these cases, follow-up questions can help clarify their thoughts.
"I noticed you paused before answering. Is there something about that feature that feels less intuitive?"
This approach allows you to explore the nuances of their experience.
Common Challenges in UX Interviews—and How to Overcome Them
Users May Struggle to Recall Details
One challenge in UX interviews is that users may struggle to recall specific details, especially if their experience happened some time ago. To counter this, ask users to narrate their last interaction step by step, guiding them through the process.
"Can you take me through what you did when you opened the app yesterday?"
Breaking down the experience into steps helps jog their memory, leading to more detailed responses.
Users Can’t Always Articulate Their Needs
Sometimes, users don’t know how to articulate what they want or need. They may say things like, "I just want it to be easier," without providing specifics. In these cases, it’s helpful to ask follow-up questions to uncover what “easier” means to them.
"When you say ‘easier,’ are you referring to fewer steps, clearer instructions, or something else?"
This clarifies their needs, making their feedback actionable for your design team.
Users May Try to Please the Researcher
In interviews, some users may try to provide answers they think you want to hear. They might be hesitant to criticize the product, fearing it will offend you. To mitigate this, create a non-judgmental environment and reassure participants that all feedback, positive or negative, is helpful.
"We’re really looking for honest feedback, so feel free to point out anything that didn’t work for you."
This builds trust and encourages users to open up.
Asking the Right Questions Leads to Meaningful Insights. Interviews are a powerful way to gather deep, qualitative insights into how users think, feel, and behave. But the success of your interviews depends on the quality of the questions you ask. By crafting open-ended, unbiased, and probing questions, and by listening actively, you can uncover insights that will shape the design and functionality of your product.
At the end of the day, UX research is about understanding the human behind the user. And the better your questions, the closer you’ll get to creating products that not only meet user needs but exceed their expectations.
