4 Tips For Asking Better Questions In Product Design Research

1. Start with why

Without understanding the why of each question, we won’t know if our questions have been answered. Knowing the why of each question also helps us to determine if answers are on point. The following is a non-exhaustive list of questions we could ask users one at a time:

Descriptive: Could you walk me through your purchase decision as a customer? (Expect an experience-based answer shared as a story)

Intuitive: What frustrates you the most during the purchase process? (Watch for shifts in emotional tone and facial expression)

Validation-driven: Does this product solve the problem you just described in the specific situation? (Yes/No. Why not?)

Data-driven: How often would you hire this product to get the job done? (Frequency based response) or On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely will you recommend this product to a friend? (Metric based response)

Comparative: What are the pros and cons of a competitor’s product?

Open-ended: If I were to give you a magic wand to change anything in this product what will you change?

2. Give context

Not every user understands the background of the issues at hand or why they were chosen for the interview. Without context, a series of questions can seem like interrogation and put users on the defensive.

A better approach is to be as transparent as possible to users and share that the answers they offer would not be judged or used against them.

A helpful mantra to bear in mind is: “More openness leads to more trust. More trust leads to more openness.”

3. Reframe in plain language

Speaking in the language of the user puts them at ease and helps them communicate fully. Speaking in their language means using terms and analogies they are familiar with in a language they are comfortable in communicating.

When conducting user interviews in Hong Kong, we quickly realise there was expressive cues and slangs we miss out when the user answered in Cantonese vs English. In countries where English is not a native language, I had experiences where I had to repeat my questions slowly or use a familiar analogy to guide users e.g. food preparation.

4. Avoid making assumptions, stereotyping or leading questions

Leading questions by nature limit how users can answer the question. Going into a user interview carrying assumptions and stereotypes hinders listening; we risk not being objective by filtering out responses or misinterpreting important observations.

Part of my pre-interview ritual is to imagine a blank sheet of paper which I seek to fill with answers and observations by the end of the interview. I would often delve deeper on a given answer with curiosity to make sure I’m recording a user’s explanation and not my own assumptions.

Further reading:

Michael Margolis (UX Research Partner of Google Ventures wrote a Medium post on finding and screening participants for your user research study which has helpful advice. Margolis also gave 16 tips in conducting user interviews which dive into some of the nuances when interviewing in person; establishing trust and comfort is critical and the environment plays a role.