Article · 10 minute read

Interviewing Users

Jakob Nielsen · Nielsen Norman Group Free Beginner

A broader companion to the leading questions piece, this covers the shape of a whole interview, from opening rapport to the order of questions to how to probe without steering. Read it once the basic don't lead the witness rule is second nature and you want to tighten the rest of the conversation.

  • Start broad and open before narrowing into specifics
  • Probe with silence and tell me more instead of suggesting the next detail yourself
  • Keep the questions you ask separate from the interpretation you do afterward
Open on nngroup.com ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. What are the questions that quietly ruin an interview by leading the person to the answer I want?
  2. As a solo technical founder who hates sales calls, how do I do user research without it draining me every week?

Read with it

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