To build the right product you need to understand the people who use it. Good interviewing should be one of your core skills—whether you are a designer, an entrepreneur, a product manager, or an innovator. This class will show you how to get the most from your conversations with customers. In a series of mock interviews you'll learn basic techniques, mistakes to avoid, and lightweight analysis and synthesis techniques that work well in rapidly changing innovative and entrepreneurial environments.

1. Effective Customer
Interviewing
Lean UX NYC, April 11 2014
Adrian Howard (@adrianh)
quietstars.com

2. Hello!

3. Ask questions

4. Don't have to copy
the slides

5. Chatham House Rule
applies please

6. “When a meeting, or part thereof, is
held under the Chatham House Rule,
participants are free to use the
information received, but neither the
identity nor the affiliation of the
speaker(s), nor that of any other
participant, may be revealed”

7. Disclaimer: Eh?

8. I ♥ feedback

10. Swear Jar

11. (obligatory cute animal slide)

12. Who are you?

13. Tip: Drink!

14. ?

16. Stand up

18. A – B - C

19. A = Speaker
B = Interviewer
C = Observer

20. Speakers:
Shut your eyes

21. Interviewers:
Chat with the
speaker about their
best restaurant
experience.

22. Observers:
Watch what
happens. Write
observations on
post-it notes.

23. Interviewers:
Do not take notes.

24. 2 minutes

25. Reflection

26. B = Speaker
C = Interviewer
A = Observer

27. Speakers:
Shut your eyes

28. Interviewers:
Chat with the
speaker about their
best holiday
experience.

29. Interviewers:
One more thing.

30. Interviewers:
After the first
question – you
cannot speak again.
Shhhhh!

31. Observers:
Watch what
happens. Write
observations on
post-it notes.

32. Interviewers:
Do not take notes.

33. 2 minutes

34. Reflection

35. Tip: Use silence

36. The opposite of talking isn't listening. The
opposite of talking is waiting.
- Fran Lebowitz

37. C = Speaker
A = Interviewer
B = Observer

38. Speakers:
Shut your eyes

39. Interviewers:
Chat with the
speaker about how
they decorate &
furnish their home.

40. Tip:
Remember to use
silence and body
language.

41. Interviewers:
One more thing.

42. Interviewers:
After the first
question you can
only ask “Can you
tell me more about
X?”

43. Interviewers:
(where X is
something the
speaker has
previously
mentioned).

44. Observers:
Watch what
happens. Write
observations on
post-it notes.

45. Interviewers:
Do not take notes.

46. 4 minutes

47. Reflection

48. Tip:
Reflect back what
the speaker said.

49. Every clarification breeds new questions.
- Arthur Bloch

50. Relax...

51. ?

52. Interviews ≠ Quiz

53. Interviews ≠ Survey

54. Interviews ≠ Script

55. Interviews cannot
be automated

56. Rapport

57. Empathy

58. Why do we do
interviews?

59. Learn from
customers

60. Test our
assumptions

61. Test our
hypotheses

62. Finding customers

63. Recruiters

64. Hassling people on
the street

65. Tip: Bribes

66. Tip:
Look for bored
people

67. Coffee shops

68. Tip:
Don't look scary

69. Go where your
customers are

70. Tip:
Go with somebody

71. Use your
organisation

72. Tip: Sales

73. Tip: Marketing

74. Tip: Support

75. Online

76. LinkedIn / Twitter /
Facebook / Google+

77. craigslist

78. Ethnio.net

79. More Interviewing
Tips

80. Tip:
Remember the
person.

81. Can you tell me a
little bit about
yourself?

82. Tip:
Ask open questions.

83. What was the last
book you read?

84. What do you like to
read?

85. Tip:
Ask for stories.

86. Can you tell me
about the last
time...

87. Tip:
No leading
questions.

88. Do you want to use
this at work?

89. Where would you
use this?

90. Exercise time

91. Today you found a
startup!

92. Exploring exciting
new ways to create a
great experience
eating out

93. Helping people have
the holiday of their
dreams.

94. Democratising
professional
interior decoration

95. What do you want
to find out?

96. Identify Topics

97. Individually write
down topics on
post-it notes

98. 5m

99. Group and label
them as a team

100. 5m

101. Write down list

102. Reflection

103. Talking to the right
people

104. Screening surveys

105. Identify attributes
of target group

106. Positive filters

107. Negative filters

108. Avoid leading
questions

109. Availability

110. Contact info

111. Collecting
information

112. A = Speaker
B = Interviewer
C = Observer

113. Interviewers &
Observers:
Write down the key
points that the
speaker says

114. 5m

115. Tips:
- Silence.
- Reflect back.
- Remember the person.
- Ask open questions.
- Ask for stories.
- No leading questions.

116. Reflection

117. Tip:
Observations vs
insights

118. Tip:
Interview in pairs

119. B = Speaker
C = Interviewer
A = Observer

120. 5m

121. Tips:
- Silence.
- Reflect back.
- Remember the person.
- Ask open questions.
- Ask for stories.
- No leading questions.
- Observations vs Insights.

122. Reflection

123. C = Speaker
A = Interviewer
B = Observer

124. 5m

125. Tips:
- Silence.
- Reflect back.
- Remember the person.
- Ask open questions.
- Ask for stories.
- No leading questions.
- Observations vs Insights.

126. Reflection

127. Synthesis

128. Affinity
Diagramming
(or KJ Method)

129. Empathy Mapping

131. Incremental
Persona

133. Further Reading

136. If you're keen

139. If you're really
keen

140. Ch 7 of “Mental Models” by Indi Young
Ch 9 & 10 of “User and Task Analysis for
Interface Design” by JoAnn T. Hackos, Janice C.
Redish
Ch 6 of "Observing the User Experience" by Mike
Kuniavsky, Elizabeth Goodman & Andrea Moed
Ch 4 of "Contextual Design" by Hugh Beyer and
Karen Holtzblatt

141. @adrianh
quietstars.com
slideshare.net/adrianh
adrianh@quietstars.com
Thank You
And any questions?