Unit 1 - Step 2 - prepare & conduct interview

target user

User - male, 19 years old, student 

• one of my students who is often late for his morning class with me  

focus?

• morning or bedtime routine

brainstorm questions 

• initial questions
  • what do you see as the current reason for being so late for class most morning?
  • what are the costs / benefits to you of allowing the problem to continue or solving the problem?
  • do you want to solve the problem? why or why not? 
  • what are you doing now to solve the problem? why is or is it not working?  
  • what other options do you have to help solve the problem? have you acted on these? why or why not?
  • what do you have control over to help solve the problem?
  • what do you not have control over but wish you did? 
  • what other options have you tried to help solve the problem? why haven't they worked?
• 4 key questions
• share with me a typical morning preparing to come the University
• can you tell me about what has happened as a result of being late for these classes? what are the costs / benefits to you of either allowing the problem to continue or solving the problem?
• of the many things that you do as preparation for coming to class in the morning, which are likely to be the biggest reasons for causing you to be late? 
• what changes have you made to deal with the problem?  why are they not working?   

Interview Tips

	Example (using morning routine)
Avoid asking questions that reflect a personal bias so you get a genuine answer from your user.	Avoid: “Isn’t it stressful to get ready in the morning? How could it be easier?” Better: “Tell me about  getting ready in the morning. How would you describe your emotions or attitude?”
Focus on specific moments or experiences.	Avoid: “What do you usually eat for breakfast?” Better: “What did you eat for breakfast today?”
Ask the interviewee to walk you through their experience.	“Imagine you’re preparing breakfast. Walk me through that experience.”
Solicit stories and emotions.	“Can you tell me about a time when you felt really rushed to get ready for work? What was that like?”
Dig into “pain points” the user mentions.	“You said that it’s hard sometimes to pick out clothes and get ready in time. What part of picking out clothes is especially challenging?”
Ask “why” often and as a follow-up to questions in order to learn more.	“Why do you pack your breakfast in the morning?” Potential response: “I  don’t have time to sit down and eat.” Follow-up questions: “Why is eating breakfast important to you?”