Glossary
User interview
What is a user interview?
A user interview is a conversation with a current or potential user about their experiences, needs, motivations, and difficulties. Open questions let them describe what matters in their own terms.
How it works
Ask about concrete experiences: “Tell me about the last time you…” Follow with questions such as “What made you decide to do that?” Leave room for the answer and avoid suggesting the response you want.
Questions about recent actions often provide more detail than broad preferences. Preferences are still useful information; they just answer a different question.
Example
A banking team could ask, “Walk me through how you managed your money last month.” Follow-up questions might explore checking balances, tracking spending, or a recent difficulty. The answers can suggest needs to investigate.
Why it matters
Interviews help explain how people describe their own experience. Memory, interpretation, and social desirability can affect those accounts. Combine them with observation when the distinction between reported and actual behavior matters.