Discover: Interview

Field research is a central part of the human-centered design process. You will now practice field research by finding and interviewing a person who will become your target user.

Materials

1. Journal
2. Pencil or pen
3. Access to a communication device (computer or phone)

Instructions guide

Step 1: Interview Setup

The purpose of this interview is to identify some ways people find, create, or instill happiness and delight. Set up an interview. It can be a family member, a friend, a colleague at work, a student, etc. However, it would be a more compelling inverview and project if you selected an interviewee with a different background or lifestyle from your own to broaden your perspective.

Ensure that you have at least an hour of time. The interview can be in-person, over the phone, or via video conversation. Please do not send a list of questions to your interviewee, as you will need to tailor the interview questions during the conversation. If you intend to record the interview (not required) you must obtain the permission of the interviewee.

Step 2: Conduct the Interview

Start the interview by asking your participant about their daily routine. Try to find something they do or experience every day that they find calming, stimulating, fun, or puts them in the "flow state."

Interview Tip: Try to have a natural conversation. Laugh, joke, and don't rely solely on the example questions below. Give your subject plenty of time to respond, awkward pauses may result in valuable responses if you're patient.

Example questions

Delights:

1. Tell me about your day today or a typical day in your life.
   1. In one or two words, what does it generally feel like?
   2. Why is that?
2. What is something you currently experience every day, however small or insignificant, that brings a bit of delight or happiness?
   1. Can you think of why it has this affect?
3. What is an activity, object, or experience you find to be special, important, genuine, or meaningful?
4. Is there something that you wish you were better at doing?
   1. What is it about skill that's so appealing? (this should be a specific thing, see Laddering - Five 'Why?'s)

Challenges:

1. What challenges, frustrations, or frictions do you endure every day, week, or year?
   1. Why is it challenging? ("it" should be a specific thing, see Laddering - Five 'Why?'s)
2. If you could go back to childhood and begin your life again, what would you want to do as an adult?
   1. Why did you choose this answer?
3. What is some advice you would tell your younger self?
   1. Why this advice? ("it" should be a specific thing, see Laddering - Five 'Why?'s)

Core Values

1. What is a place or type of space that has special meaning to you? (At home, or elsewhere)
   1. What details can you recall most clearly? Describe them.
2. What is a group, culture, or "tribe" that you strongly identify with?
   1. How do your participate in, or show your connection to, that group?

Original Questions

Prepare three or more original questions that you will ask your subject.

1. _______________________________?
2. _______________________________?
3. _______________________________?

Laddering - Five 'Why?'s

Laddering is a technique developed in the 1960s to help clinical psychologists uncover core values and beliefs. If your participant has many responses from the previous step, focus on one response. Ask your participant why. Asking why helps us to better understand an ambiguous issue and gets to a more emotional aspect of a problem. After they respond, ask why again. Repeat this until you have asked why five times. Asking five times is important because core issues will start to emerge around four or five levels deep. Ask about their responses specifically to avoid horizontal questions. For example, "Why else didn't you get your homework done?" is a horizontal question. "Why didn't you have enough time to complete the assignment?" is a deeper question.

Step 3: Recording responses

• Record the interviewee's responses in your journal. You don't need to write everything they say. Try to capture the key insights.
• Make a note of any responses that led to a deeper understanding of what motivates this person?
• The interview is about better understanding a potential user's problems. Try not to make reference to the project during the questions that may lead the interviewee to attempt to think of solutions.

Instructions

1. Set up the interview
2. Ask questions to find key issue(s)
3. Record the interviewee's responses in your journal

Post work

Use the file format indicated in each step. You must obtain prior approval to deviate from these upload requirements. Please check that your work has uploaded properly.

1. Submit an image of your journal notes in .jpg or .png format.

References:

Adapted from: http://www.designkit.org/methods/66