When conducting user research, the most important thing is to connect with each participant so you can practice active listening. Here are some tips that I have found useful:
- Meet with users one at a time. Group dynamics are not useful for this type of work.
- Write a script. Feel free to deviate from it. A script helps you relax and connect with the person you are talking to.
- Get users to tell you a story. Don’t let them tell you how they usually do things. That will give you the happy path which is not interesting. Get them to tell you a specific story about how something happened to them so you can uncover real pain points.
- Focus on facts not opinions. Get stories about what they did, not feelings about what they might do.
- Shut up and listen. This is hard to do and takes practice. Pay attention to how much you are talking. Practice active listening.
- Empathize with the user. Value their needs and goals. Feel their frustrations.
- Remind yourself that you are not there to learn about your product. You are there to learn about a person. They are the expert on themselves and you are the student of their experiences.
- No leading questions. It is natural to want to help the user by giving them suggested answers. Work against this instinct.
- Pair with another team member. Opening yourself to critique is the best way to get better.
- Take time to debrief between sessions. Discuss themes, trends, surprises, and things that are confusing. Discuss what should change for the next interview.
