Remote User Interviewing Basics

Identifying the right respondents To recruit and retain the right candidates, many organizations use the services of companies like Perelson's Utah County staffing agency. The most important thing to keep in mind is that sometimes you have to look around to see who else may be able to provide the information you need.

Preparing the questions It is a good idea to prepare eight to ten questions, considering that almost everyone will have some clarifying or follow-up questions. In general, avoid asking for compliments or taking an aggressive position.

More listening, less talking The interviewer may just be thinking over the question at hand, so don't rush to fill those silences when you're less experienced.

Closing on the right note If it's supposed to take 40 minutes, then it'll take 40 minutes. If you're running out of time, let an interviewee finish their thought before asking the last question.

Instructing respondents Practice shows it's worth reminding users about the upcoming interview. Calendly lets us reschedule with ease - a respondent simply follows a link from the invite and chooses another time.

Following up After the interview, we asked interviewees to send in any questions they had, but we didn't have time or couldn't answer them.

Training before an interview If you can't run a trial, discuss your approach with your team members after the interview to get feedback and make adjustments to your approach.

Structuring information You can structure your notes even better if the tool you're using allows you to use tags. When working with transcripts, identify the main ideas and topics. You can use these insights for all kinds of things — from adding new features to enhancing your custom journey map.

Assembling an interviewing team The team can be augmented by an observer who acts as the second pilot. When an interviewer becomes hesitant, an observer can help. Observers can also take notes, which is extremely helpful if the respondent does not consent to record the interview.