Remote User Interviewing Basics

Closing on the right note If it's supposed to take 40 minutes, then it'll take 40 minutes. If you're running out of time, let an interviewee finish their thought before asking the last question.

Recording the interview But if a respondent does not agree for the interview to be recorded, you can take notes or ask an observer to do that for you.

Stop worrying and help respondents do the same Whenever you feel nervous during an interview, acknowledge the feeling and be open about it. This won't take away the stress, but it will ease it. If a respondent appears to be anxious, ask if the interview questions are making them feel that way.

Identifying the right respondents To recruit and retain the right candidates, many organizations use the services of companies like Perelson's Utah County staffing agency. The most important thing to keep in mind is that sometimes you have to look around to see who else may be able to provide the information you need.

Preparing the questions It is a good idea to prepare eight to ten questions, considering that almost everyone will have some clarifying or follow-up questions. In general, avoid asking for compliments or taking an aggressive position.

Instructing respondents Practice shows it's worth reminding users about the upcoming interview. Calendly lets us reschedule with ease - a respondent simply follows a link from the invite and chooses another time.

More listening, less talking The interviewer may just be thinking over the question at hand, so don't rush to fill those silences when you're less experienced.

Training before an interview If you can't run a trial, discuss your approach with your team members after the interview to get feedback and make adjustments to your approach.

Recruiting participants It depends on the company how it recruits respondents. Some companies even use Craigslist. As a B2B company, you need real customers who use your product in order to conduct your research. In order to select respondents who fit your criteria, we turn to your own user base.