Remote User Interviewing Basics

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.

Choosing an interview tool You can use whatever tool is more familiar to you, but make sure it allows for recording your interviews. Some companies approve specific solutions like Microsoft Teams.

--------------------------------------------- Starting off the right foot The interviewer and interviewee should have cameras to see each other during an interview. If a respondent cannot turn on the camera, make sure your camera is on as well.

Structuring information You can structure your notes even better if the tool you're using allows you to use tags. When working with transcripts, identify the main ideas and topics. You can use these insights for all kinds of things — from adding new features to enhancing your custom journey map.

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.

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.

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.

--------------------------------------------- Performing a retrospective You can fix any mistakes you made and improve your approach if you did an interview by yourself. If it's a team effort, then the retrospective should be done in iterations after one or two interviews. Share the recording with someone more skilled and ask for their feedback.

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.