Originally posted at VZC Research on September 30, 2019.

When was the last time you had a frustrating experience with a product or service?

The last time I felt really, really, really frustrated was a couple of weeks ago. The app that I use to check in had incorrect information, so I couldn’t check in ahead of time. I got hung up at work, got stuck in traffic, was late to the airport, and was forced to wait in line to check in at the counter, which meant I would definitely miss my flight. As I stepped up to the counter, I braced for a frustrating conversation with the ticket agent. Before we even talked about my situation, she smiled empathetically at me and said, “Not to worry. Let’s figure it out together. How can I help?” With this simple deescalation technique, I felt like I could hold onto my sanity for long enough to get on the next flight.

Something I’ve noticed is that very basic interviewing skills from psychology are just as useful in other areas of my life, and particularly in UX research. Other researchers have found this link, too. Think about the phrasing that we often use in UX research and design: happy paths, pain points, user empathy. It makes sense that employing systematic interviewing skills based out of clinical and counseling psychology would be helpful in UX — you’re ultimately trying to connect with another person to identify ways to make them feel supported, connected, and empowered.

In-depth interviews are helpful in uncovering information. By asking well-timed and relevant questions, researchers are able to bring latent, or unseen, thoughts and behaviors to the surface to inform our work. However, poorly-designed questions, team over-involvement, and lack of user empathy can completely derail an in-depth interview. Below are 5 fundamental in-depth interviewing techniques from clinical psychology that help you plan, conduct, and review successful user interviews!

Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals!

1. Create the discussion guide with your team.

In clinical psychology, there are standardized forms for interviews so that all professionals know the methods you’ve used. For user research, you can get alignment with your stakeholders by collaborating and agreeing upon a discussion guide together. First, start by meeting with your stakeholders and holding a research brainstorm to understand what questions they have. Then, group those questions according to themes and priority. Keep in mind the different question types. Be tactful about your use of open vs. closed questions, and avoid problematic questions, like double-barreled questions. Share the guide with your stakeholders and remind them that this is a discussion “guide”. This document is meant to give a general structure to the interview. Not every question will be asked, nor should they be… (see “Be present”).

2. Establish rapport with your user.

Rapport is a shared general understanding, often linked with genuineness and openness. In clinical psychology, this is key in building a sense of trust. Doing this in an in-depth interview helps your user feel comfortable sharing their experiences, positive and negative. To establish rapport, take a few minutes at the beginning of the interview to get acquainted. Explain your role, and ask the user to tell you a little bit about themselves in return. Explain what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how the user’s information will be involved. For example, if you are interviewing the user to understand how to make product enhancements, give some explanation as to how their feedback might impact the product.

Taken from Strip Generator and based on 3 Traits Every UX Designer Should Have

Throughout the interview, be authentic. This can include reflecting on moments when users seem to display strong emotion, like surprise or frustration. Finally, devote enough time at the end to summarize the interview, giving the user the ability to help bring everything together and to transition them out of the interview space. This helps you make sure that you truly heard what the user shared, as well advocate for the user’s needs.

3. Be present for your user.

This is perhaps the most important aspect of interviewing. Regardless of the plans you make, and in order to help establish rapport, make it an effort to be present and in the moment during the interview. For user research, this means giving your user the space to share what they want and need to share. Have an actual conversation with your user. If they seem nervous or uncomfortable, check in to see if there’s anything you can do to put them at ease. Also, don’t worry too much about sticking to a script; this is why you have created a discussion “guide”! If the user brings up something that seems particularly useful that you haven’t accounted for in your discussion guide, then feel free to follow that conversation in a way that does not derail the conversation. Finally, you may hear your user share some major pain points, but don’t be afraid of that, and try not to take it personally. Think about this time as moment for the user to advocate for themselves. Treat your time together as a somewhat structured, simple chat — one in which you, the researcher, does more listening than talking.

4. Delegate tasks to your team.

In clinical psychology, professionals work in teams to ensure things run smoothly. To help you stay focused on being present and staying on-task, be sure to have “research buddies” with you. These can be fellow researchers, or other members of your cross-functional teams (e.g., product, tech/dev, customer care, marketing, etc.). Delegate operational tasks (e.g., meeting the user in the lobby of your building, recording the interview, note-taking during the interview, etc.) to your “research buddies” to off-load some organizational strain from your plate. Be clear about the roles that each of your teammates takes during the interview, and don’t be afraid to set ground rules. For example, many of your stakeholders may also want to ask the user some questions. This enthusiasm is great! But it can be hard for an interviewee to focus on more than one interviewer at a time. To preserve the dialogue between the user and the interviewer, set up a virtual listening session with an online chat channel. That way, your stakeholders can listen in and send in their questions, while the interviewer can focus on holding the conversation. Not only does this help streamline the research process, but it also helps you bring your teams along in the research process in a non-disruptive way.

5. Debrief with your team.

In clinical psychology, teams check in with one another to get additional insights on cases. In user research, after every interview, take some time to debrief, or discuss, the interview with your teammates. This can be a five-minute check in, or a half-hour discussion. Just make sure to engage in a conversation with your teammates to see what resonated with them. What was interesting? What was unexpected? What went exactly how you thought it would? Not only does this provide a chance for you to check in with each other, but it also provides real-time analysis and distillation of the information you just collected. This also helps for your larger team debrief; you will now have some quick notes to share back with your stakeholders as you collaborate and assess how the interviews as a whole went.

The best user experiences are those that make us feel seen and heard!

It’s ultimately not surprising that user research can be considered user therapy. To understand how we can best support our users is to understand them in their contexts, frustrations and all, which is exactly what therapy is meant to do. By staying true to these fundamentals, you’re at least making sure that you are advocating for and aiming to understand the user — the crux of UX!

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5 Fundamentals of In-Depth Interviews