5 Flash Cards to keep handy in your next User Research session

Sareeka Malhotra and Muzayun Mukhtar

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Be Curious

Unleash your inner 4-year-old that wants to

ask “why?” and then upon hearing the

answer, immediately follows up with another

“why?”

Question even the things you think you know

already. It can be enlightening to hear it

described in someone else’s words, and may

help you discover unmet needs and ancillary

tasks.

Treat “Who, What , When, Where, How” as

your best friends. Get the user talking and

then look for patterns, trends, and

inconsistencies.

Bottom line: There are no dumb questions.

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Dig Deeper For Insights

Don’t ask binary questions. Use short

questions or prompts that encourage your

users to tell stories.

Gently guide the conversation to delve

deeper into interesting topics as they

emerge. Explore, but don’t lead – For

Example “Tell me about the last time you

______.”

Expressions such as “Help me

understand…” and “I’ve never done this

before…” put the participant into the teacher

role while you become the student.

(So, you’d better take notes).

Bottom Line: Everyone loves a good story.

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Listen, don’t just hear

Prepare….to listen and soak into the user’s

world. You don’t always need a pre-defined

set of questions. In fact, worrying too much

about the next question to ask may impair

your listening skills.

Especially for exploratory research , it is

better to prioritize high level topics and

design questions that solicit examples and

stories related to those topics. This way you

don’t have to memorize a list of questions

and you are free to listen.

Do not treat a feedback session as a product

demo or a pitch.

Bottom line: If you listen attentively the rest

will come naturally.

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Embrace Silence

Sometimes five seconds of silence are worth

ten questions. Try this. When it is your turn

to speak, don’t. Instead, pause for five

seconds. Odds are the interviewee will

notice the gap in conversation and continue

speaking to fill that otherwise potentially

awkward silence.

Don’t offer to help right away if a user is

stuck. Put on a poker face and you may

learn much more by observing user’s

struggles and frustration. When you finally

decide you are ready to interject, wait five

more seconds before you, do just in case.

Remember it is not about flaunting what you

know but learning what the user knows (or

doesn’t).

Bottom Line: The less you talk the better.

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Feel the Pain

Keep yourself small in the relationship, with

a friendly tone and smile. Converse, don’t

interrogate.

Observe and engage users without the

influence of value judgments.

Don’t be afraid to discuss emotions, as they

may drive behaviors. Pay attention to cues,

even non-verbal ones.

Assume a tone and pace dictated by the

persona in front of you. Most importantly, be

open to feeling the “pain.”

Bottom line: Empathize.

Thank You!

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Acknowledgements: Alan Galindez and Christopher Bertrand