What is a user interview?
A user interview is a semi-structured or structured interview that may be conducted in person or over a phone to collect in-depth information about user needs, goals, experiences, attitudes, and opinions.
When should it be used?
User interviews are typically performed at the beginning of the design phase. Although rich data from small sample interviews is not generalizable to the larger population, it can be used as a starting point for developing quantitative studies or to explain quantitative results. User interviews can also be used to collect demographic information to better detail the user population. Results can be used to help inform the design based on users’ or groups of users’ opinions and overall impressions.
What do you get?
The output from a user interview typically includes a report that details:
- The primary goals of the interview
- Questions asked to achieve those goals
- Participant demographics
- Statistics on the quantitative data from rating, ranking, or other closed-ended questions
- Common themes or trends from open-ended questions
- Recommendations based on findings
If desired, user interviews can be recorded and/or transcribed.