Interviews and my learnings

“Have a seat.”

My heart was racing.

I was interviewing students with vision loss for an academic project, leaning towards UX. Tons of Medium Articles, a handful of UX Research books, and countless interview survival and tips later, I was ready. It was the first time I was moderating an interview. Alone.

Stepping into research can be daunting in the beginning. The prospect of sitting on the other side, taking down notes, and probing the participant is always fascinating. So when I asked the first question, I said to myself, “This is what a researcher feels like.”

One way of overcoming the fear of the new is to make it look like the old. — Don Norman

I knew that it was never going to be easy. “Probe well.” muttered my brain to me. I read out the initial script and proceeded with the interview. The first few questions were challenging as I was still trying to figure out if I was going at the correct speed or rushing through the questions. As I mentioned above, I was interviewing students with vision loss, so I had to be careful about the type of questions I could ask. I was conscious not to ask questions that could be sensitive and overwhelming for the participant.

As my first interview proceeded to completion, there were times when the responses were slower than usual or that I would not get an answer to the question at all. It is never the mistake of the participant. I wanted to improve how I queried the participants during the interview process and learned things that I employ whenever I step foot into an interview room as a moderator. If you are a pro at interviews, you will already know these. But if you are just starting, then the stuff I have highlighted below will be beneficial to you. I will leave the subject-related part of the interview to you as you are the expert, but generic ones? Here are a few simple ones.

Slowing it down and being a little patient helps

I admit there is a time constraint. But if you feel less confident about the speed of the interview session and end up getting flustered, catch a breath and slow down. Slowing down with the questions and probes gives enough time for both the participant to understand the question and prepare the subsequent probe. For instance, when I talked about a technology related to blind navigation, I felt that I had to go slow because of the nature of the topic. Taking a step back to slow down ensured that I articulated my part well, which helped elicit a good response from the participant.

Also, I realized that by being patient, there lies an opportunity to gather more data from the participants. Cutting a frustrated figure because of the information obtained (or lack of) may prove to be a hindrance in the interview process. I often tried to probe in between 4–5 sentences, leading to the participant becoming reluctant to answer and turning away. Giving them time to complete can instill confidence and can help build answers for other questions. Being patient helps.

Empathy

Ah, empathy, we hear this word everywhere. While conducting interviews, I noticed the need to understand what is going on in the participant’s mind, keeping aside any personal bias. I made the mistake of talking about something that gave a participant immense stress at the moment in time. Pressuring the participant to provide a specific answer would only lead to the participant longing for the interview to end. They may think in detail about one question while being reluctant to give out information for another.

Notes

I remember writing almost every sentence that the first participant was speaking, and I realized that taking notes at the right time takes a lot of practice. There was a marked difference between the first interview and the 10th; between the 10th and the 20th. Subsequently, I started writing my notes differently.

“Pay attention to what users do, not what they say.” — Jakob Nielson

Additionally, telling the participant stuff like “Just give me a moment while I take down some notes.” can help buy time and give both you and the participant a breather.

Smile and Encouragement

This may sound childish at best, but I will say this. Smile.

Smile throughout the interview regardless of data collected from the user. Additionally, encouraging the participant after said questions could boost confidence and morale, thus enabling them to answer more freely. Finally, thanking the participant for their time and effort can ensure a return for another round in the future on a need basis. At no point in time should any participant feel inferior regardless of disability, ever. One of my participants was trying to recollect something, and she realized that she could not remember the exact thing. She started feeling low. Reassuring the participants at times can go a long way in enhancing the entire interview.

Having been with someone who has required increased assistance their entire life, I have a solid recommendation. If you are interviewing someone or met a person with a disability, please don’t ever tell them, “I know it is difficult” and stuff like that. It does not look good. Simple as that. Again, empathy.

Every interview is exciting.

Every interview is different.

Every interview is a learning curve.

“Thank you for participating in the interview”