Discover phase

Interview Discussion Guide

Written prompts to guide research questions and structure your interview sessions consistently.

What it is

Written prompts to guide your research questions and structure your session. It may be a loose outline of key areas or a more structured verbatim script.

When to use it

Having set questions to guide the interview will ensure you collect consistent data about your problem and help move the discussion along.

How to run it

Refer to the What you know, think you know, want to know to draft your questions.

Go back to your problem statement and ask questions that your participant can answer.

Consider timing of the session. Allow time for the conversation to take different tangents.

Run a ‘pilot’ (test session) to check timing and that you are asking the right questions to get the insights you need.

This is a guide, not a script. Be open to chasing ‘white rabbits’. It helps to identify your must have questions so to collect consistent data across interviews

Ask open questions – *who, what, why, where & how.* If you ask closed questions, you get closed responses.

Avoid leading questions e.g., asking “Do you like catching the bus?” assumes they either like or don't like it.

Check your assumptions & biases e.g., asking "It must have been really frustrating for you when the bus was late." versus, "How does it impact you when the bus is late?"

Focus on the participant and their lived experience.

Related tools

Pairs well with these other methods from the discover phase.

DiscoverLink

Interview Discussion Guide

What it is

When to use it

How to run it

Tips

Related tools

Research Plan

Capturing Observations

Affinity Mapping