Day 9 - Usability - User Interview Tips

Understand more about your users by doing usability testing.  Used in User-Centered-Interaction-Design, usability research can help you evaluate a product's direction by giving you direct user feedback.

Here are some interviewing tips when conducting research with your users:

1. Get into your "research persona" and be professional so that the interview can feel friendly, casual, and conversational.
2. Smile (no explanation needed :)
3. Be neutral and encouraging. Don't be a grinch.*
4. Don't behave in judgmental or dismissive ways.
5. Ask open ended questions that start with who, what, when, where, why, and how. 
6. Ask follow up questions.
7. Don't pitch nor try and convince the user that your product is the bees knees.
8. Shut up and listen

*Never blame the user (although sometimes you feel like you want to!).