Template

Conduct a 5-Act Interview

Design Sprint Kit (Google) Free Intermediate

A ready-to-use script and structure for the five-act interview, so you're not writing your test flow from scratch. Having the acts (welcome, context, introduce the prototype, tasks, debrief) already laid out removes a lot of the temptation to fill silence with your own commentary.

  • Use the fixed five-act structure so every session stays comparable.
  • The script itself is designed to keep you from over-explaining the prototype.
  • Debrief questions are saved for the end, after observation, not mixed into it.

The question it answers

  1. How do I show a prototype to users without biasing their reaction?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. A YC partner turns 'talk to users' into a repeatable 5-question interview script you can use this afternoon. It's The Mom Test... YC Startup Library Video · ~25 min How to Talk to Users Eric Migicovsky (YC / founder of Pebble)
  3. A short, practical field guide to customer discovery: who to talk to, how to find them, and how many. Pairs perfectly with The... talkingtohumans.com Book · ~80 pages (free PDF available) Talking to Humans Giff Constable
  4. The most accessible, practical intro to usability ever written, you can read it in a weekend and immediately fix your product.... sensible.com Book · ~200 pages Don't Make Me Think, Revisited Steve Krug
  5. Video · ~20 min How To Talk To Users | Startup School Gustaf Alstromer
  6. This is the cleanest, most concrete catalogue of the exact question shapes that quietly steer a person to the answer you... Nielsen Norman Group Article · about 7 min read Avoid Leading Questions to Get Better Insights from Participants Amy Schade
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