User Interviews
Crafting Targeted User Interview Questions for Discovery
This prompt aids in developing targeted questions for user interviews that uncover specific insights about user needs, preferences, or challenges. It ensures questions are open-ended and tailored to gather deep, qualitative information, avoiding generic or irrelevant responses.
Responsible:
Product Management
Accountable, Informed or Consulted:
Product, Design, Marketing, Customer Success
THE PREP
Creating effective prompts involves tailoring them with detailed, relevant information and uploading documents that provide the best context. Prompts act as a framework to guide the response, but specificity and customization ensure the most accurate and helpful results. Use these prep tips to get the most out of this prompt:
Define the key focus areas or goals for the interviews (e.g., usability, feature feedback).
Understand the target audience and their relationship with the product or service.
Review similar past interviews or surveys to refine question priorities.
THE PROMPT
Help create a list of targeted questions for user interviews to discover [specific insight, e.g., how users manage tasks, challenges with onboarding, preferences for new features]. Focus on:
Open-ended questions that encourage users to share detailed feedback (e.g., 'Can you describe a typical day and how you interact with [feature/product]?').
Questions that explore unmet needs or pain points (e.g., 'What’s the most frustrating part of using [product/task] currently?').
Hypothetical or future-oriented questions (e.g., 'If you could change one thing about [product/feature], what would it be?').
Avoid leading or overly complex questions. If additional details about the target audience or goals are required, ask clarifying questions to ensure relevance.
Bonus Add-On Prompts
Develop hypothetical questions to explore how users might react to [specific new feature or scenario].
Create questions focused on uncovering motivations and decision-making processes for [specific task or action].
Suggest ways to phrase questions neutrally to avoid influencing user responses.
Use AI responsibly by verifying its outputs, as it may occasionally generate inaccurate or incomplete information. Treat AI as a tool to support your decision-making, ensuring human oversight and professional judgment for critical or sensitive use cases.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE
Focus questions on specific personas or demographics if applicable.
Incorporate time-related elements (e.g., 'How has your experience with [product] changed over time?').
Adjust for different product life cycle stages (e.g., pre-launch, post-launch).
Add exploratory questions about user expectations for related products or services.
Tailor the questions to focus on emotional responses or challenges based on interview goals.
WHEN TO USE
When planning discovery interviews to uncover new user insights.
To refine or expand question lists for in-depth user feedback.
Before brainstorming or designing solutions to user problems.
WHEN NOT TO USE
If the focus is on analyzing interview results rather than creating questions.
When quantitative data is needed instead of qualitative insights.