The goal here is to make it clear to the participant (and to yourself) that they are the expert and you are the novice. This definitely pays off. When I conduct research overseas, people tangibly extend themselves to answer my necessarily naïve questions. Although it’s most apparent in those extreme situations, it applies to all interviews. Respect

there’s often a point when the participant shifts from giving short answers to telling stories (see Figure 5.4).

You should ask the stakeholders

After you ask a question, be silent. This is tricky; you are speaking with someone you’ve never spoken to before. You

Here’s some bad news: you won’t get the answer to your questions just by asking. If only you could simply utter the question and wait while the person gives you all the information you need, and then move on to the next question on your list.

Don’t do this. Ask your question and let it stand. Be deliberate about this. To deal with your (potentially agonizing!) discomfort during the silence, give yourself something to do—slowly repeat “allow silence” as many times as it takes. Use this as a mantra to calm and clear your mind (at least for the moment). If the person can’t answer the

Interviews are not good at predicting future behavior, especially future purchase intent or uncovering price expectations. Asking those questions in an interview will reveal mental models that exist today, which can be insightful, but won’t necessarily be accurate.

“pain points” aren’t necessarily that painful for people. The term satisficing,

This looks more like a framework for how to be, rather than a list of what to do.