How do you use user interviews to generate and test product ideas and solutions?

1 Define your objectives

Before you conduct any user interviews, you need to define your objectives and research questions. What are you trying to learn from your users? What are the problems or opportunities you want to explore? What are the assumptions or hypotheses you want to test? Having clear objectives and research questions will help you plan your interview process, recruit the right participants, and design effective questions.

2 Recruit your participants

Once you have your objectives and research questions, you need to recruit your participants. You want to find people who represent your target users, or potential users, and who can provide relevant and honest feedback. You can use different methods to recruit participants, such as online platforms, referrals, social media, or existing customers. You should also consider the number, diversity, and incentives of your participants, depending on your goals and budget.

3 Design your questions

The next step is to design your questions for the user interviews. You want to ask open-ended, unbiased, and probing questions that elicit insights and stories from your users. You should avoid leading, yes/no, or multiple-choice questions that limit the responses or influence the answers. You should also group your questions into themes or topics, and create a logical flow for the interview. You can use different types of questions, such as background, behavioral, attitudinal, or hypothetical questions, depending on your objectives and research questions.

4 Conduct your interviews

Now you are ready to conduct your interviews with your participants. You should prepare your interview materials, such as consent forms, recording devices, notes, and prototypes, if any. You should also choose a suitable location, time, and mode for the interview, such as in-person, online, or phone. During the interview, you should introduce yourself and the purpose of the interview, establish rapport and trust with the participant, ask your questions in a conversational and flexible way, listen actively and empathetically, and thank the participant for their time and input.