Qualitative interviews and research

From the UX writing viewpoint, user interviews teach researchers user language, demonstrate their comprehension of the brand's voice and tone, and indicate roadblocks (ambiguous word choice or confusing technical terms) that impede users from moving forward and completing their tasks. Although you can't fully rely on just what users say, user interviews can still provide important insights and qualitative data about users' motivations, needs, and behaviors.

Here's how to conduct efficient user interviews:

• Select 3-5 participants that represent your audience. In contrast to quantitative user research methods (e.g., surveys), you can interview just about 3-5 people to understand their behaviors, motivations, and opinions.
• Define your goals. Research goals should reflect the purpose of user interviews. Ask yourself: What questions do you want to answer? How can a user interview help you get insights?
• Prepare an interview guide. This is not a script you should follow step-by-step but a list of recommendations to guide you through an interview. Make sure that it aligns with your goals.
• Work on interview questions. Well-thought, open-ended interview questions are a key component of a user interview. They should help you reach your research goals and not manipulate interviewees to repeat predefined assumptions.