User Interviews

Make sure to include users from all defined user segments relevant to your project. Here are a few factors to consider when selecting a diverse group of participants:

• Role or user group
• Location (on-site vs remote)
• Technical skill level
• Time with the product or organization

Stakeholders and users bring very different—but equally important—perspectives to a project. Stakeholders define goals, constraints, and success metrics from the business side. Users, on the other hand, reveal real-world behaviors, pain points, and needs.

Learn more about Stakeholder vs. User Interviews

Aim to interview 3–5 people per user group. To account for no-shows or scheduling conflicts, invite 8–10 users initially.

As you begin speaking with users, you’ll start to notice patterns and recurring themes in what they share. At first, individual feedback may seem like isolated opinions—but as more users echo similar thoughts, those opinions evolve into valuable insights.

A good rule of thumb:

• One person’s story is an opinion.
• When multiple people say the same thing, it’s an insight worth paying attention to.

You’ll know you’ve spoken to enough users when these themes and insights start to repeat, and you’re no longer hearing new perspectives. This point—often called “saturation”—signals that you’ve gathered enough input to move forward with confidence.

Once you’ve defined your user segments, it’s time to recruit real participants. A few common sources:

• Account or membership lists
• Support ticket submissions
• Team recommendations (only for identifying users, not interviewing them)
• Internal tools like Slack, Teams, or email lists

Send out a simple sign-up message explaining the project and inviting participation.

Instead of just sending a calendar invite, start with a personal, welcoming email. Introduce yourself, share what the project is about, and let them know what you’re asking of them.

Include:

• A brief project overview and goal of the interview
• Why they’re being contacted (e.g. “You’ve used [X], and your feedback can help us improve it.” or ‘You have been recommended by [Name and Position] because you are a [user group role or affiliation] at [institution or company].”)
• How long the interview will take
• Location or remote meeting details (and any tech requirements)

Avoid sending interview questions or project information ahead of time. This can cause you  to miss natural, in-the-moment insights in the interview. Let them know there are no right or wrong answers and no preparation needed—you’re there to learn from their real experiences.

Tip: A tool like Calendly(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) can make scheduling easier for everyone.

User interviews can take many forms, depending on how structured the conversation is. From tightly scripted questions to open-ended chats—or even quiet observation—each format has its own strengths. The best approach depends on the type of project you’re working on and the kind of insights you’re trying to uncover.

It’s also important to distinguish between user interviews and focus groups. While focus groups can be helpful for gathering general impressions or sparking group discussion around a concept, they tend to surface opinions, not behaviors. Group settings often encourage consensus or performance, which can dilute individual insights.

In contrast, one-on-one interviews create space for personal reflection, honesty, and vulnerability. They allow you to observe how people truly think, work around problems, and articulate their needs—without the influence of others in the room. If your goal is to uncover deeper user motivations, challenges, and decision-making processes, individual interviews are far more effective.

Before the interview, get clear on what you’re trying to learn. Your questions should align with your project’s goals. Understanding your scope keeps the conversation focused and ensures the insights you gather are actionable. You want to discover pain points, validating features, or identifying gaps in the user journey.

Start every interview by introducing yourself and confirming consent. Ask for permission to record (recommended), and explain:

• What the interview is for
• How their data will be used
• That their identity will remain confidential

Never share raw transcripts or attribute quotes to specific individuals—this prevents team bias and keeps the focus on the insight, not who said it.

A good interview script gives structure without limiting flexibility.

• Create tailored scripts for different user groups (e.g. staff vs. students).
• Keep questions open-ended and neutral.
  • Leading: “Was uploading attachments frustrating?”
  • Open: “Tell me about your experience uploading attachments.”
• Group questions logically and estimate timing for each section.
• Start with a warm-up: ask the user to introduce themselves and describe their connection to the product or service.
• Include follow-up questions based on positive or negative responses.

Mark key questions you want to ask in every interview. These will become important when identifying patterns later.

Remember: going off-script is okay if a promising insight emerges—follow the conversation.

Treat the interview like a friendly conversation—not a test or formal meeting. A relaxed environment encourages honest, meaningful responses. Your goal is to connect with the person, not just collect answers. Give them room to speak freely—even to complain. That’s where valuable insights often live.

Sometimes users will take the conversation off topic, and it’s important to gently guide it back. They might ask questions about the project, or even request technical support during the interview.

Including a friendly response like the one below in your interview script can help you handle these moments gracefully:

“That’s a really good question—would you mind if we come back to that at the end? I’d love to stay focused on hearing about your experience for now.”

This approach helps keep the session on track, while still showing empathy and respect for the user.

Wrap up by asking:

“Is there anything else you’d like to share about [topic] that we didn’t cover?”

This often surfaces useful insights you hadn’t considered.

Finally, thank them genuinely for their time. Let them know if a follow-up is possible, and how their feedback will help move the project forward.

After a user interview, don’t just take what was said at face value—dig deeper by asking yourself why the user said what they did. This doesn’t mean directly asking “why” in the moment (which can feel confrontational or put users on the spot). Instead, during analysis, reflect on the motivation or context behind their comments.

For example, if a user says, “I wish this form were shorter,” ask yourself:

• Why does length matter here?
• Are they feeling rushed, overwhelmed, or unsure what’s required?
• Is there a larger issue of clarity or trust?

By mentally asking “why,” you move beyond surface feedback to uncover the real problems users are experiencing—and design solutions that address the root cause, not just the symptom. This habit helps you interpret feedback with more empathy and insight, turning vague requests into actionable design direction.

Look beyond individual quotes to identify repeated patterns in how users think, act, and feel. Behavioral themes are clusters of insights that emerge across multiple interviews—for example, “users feel overwhelmed when starting a new task” or “people rely on unofficial shortcuts to complete routine actions.” These themes help you move from anecdotal feedback to broader understanding, which can inform design principles, features, or content structure.

Distilling user needs means going deeper than what users say they want. Look for the underlying goals and motivations driving their behavior. A user might ask for a calendar feature, but their real need could be “I want to feel in control of deadlines.” Framing needs in this way helps you stay open to multiple solutions rather than fixating on specific requests.

Pain points are where users struggle, get confused, or feel frustrated. These moments are rich with design opportunity—especially when you notice them coming up repeatedly. Whether it’s an unclear process, missing information, or clunky navigation, understanding these challenges gives you a roadmap for improving the user experience.

Archetypes and personas are two powerful ways to represent your users as real people—not just data points or job titles. They help you communicate what different users need, value, and struggle with, so teams can make more informed, user-centered decisions.

Learn more about archetypes and personas

A journey map visualizes the steps users take to accomplish a task, including what they’re thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage. Based on your interviews, you can highlight key moments of delight, frustration, and decision-making. Journey maps help uncover gaps in the experience, align teams on user context, and spark ideas for improvement.