user research interview questions sample

Asking the Right User Research Questions (Template and Examples Included!)

Interviewing users is an art — whether you are running usability testing, focus groups, ethnographic research or whatnot. When you undertake an interview process, you'll want to invest time up front for planning it out. Often user research projects are days if not weeks of preparation, conversations, and capturing and processing information. To ensure that all this effort is put to good use, take the time to properly plan out your questions.

What is a User Interview?

Let's start with basics. What is a user interview? User interviews are often utilized as a way to examine the user experience, the usability of a product, or flesh out demographic or ethnographic data to build a deeper more comprehensive profile of the end user.

Often user interviews take place in person or on the phone. When possible, it's helpful to have two people present with the user, one to guide the interview and the other to take notes. Typical user interviews will cover topics such as:

• Background of the user
• Use of the product
• User's main objectives and motivations
• User's pain points, or
• many other items

Often, research teams will conduct several interviews in order to do a full research project. Developing an interview script in advance is a helpful way to standardize the interview process and really ensure you're covering all of the main questions during your time with the customer.

Example User Research Interview Questions

Chuck Liu, KISSmetric's lead user researcher, suggests these three questions:

• What are you trying to get done? Why?
• How do you currently do this?
• What could be better about how you do this?

Sarah Doody, a user experience designer, suggests the following questions:

Customer Intro Questions

• What does your typical weekday look like?
• When do you normally first use the Internet in a typical day?
• What are some of the apps and websites you use the most?
• Tell me about your role at your company?
• Any lifestyle questions that are related to your topic / product.

Topic Specific Questions

• What’s your relationship like with [topic … e.g. money, fitness, etc]
• How do you currently go about [problem / task]?
• How much time do you typically spend on [problem / task]?
• Tell me about the last time you tried to [problem / task]?
• What do you like about how you currently [problem / task]?
• What is the biggest pain point related to [problem / task]?
• Why do you keep doing [problem / task] … why is it important to you?
• What type of work arounds have you cerated to help you with this?
• What’s the hardest part about [problem / task]?
• What are you currently doing to make this [problem / task] easier?
• How does this [problem / task] impact other areas of your life / work?
• What other products or tools have you tried out?
• Have you paid for any of these other products or tools?
• How did you hear about these other products or tools?
• What do you like or dislike about these other products or tools?
• Are you looking for a solution or alternative for [problem / task]?

Product Opportunity Questions

• What do you think of this product? (meant to be asked at the homepage to gauge initial reaction)
• Why do you think someone would use this product?
• Can you see yourself ever using this product?
• Why do you think you can trust this product?
• How do you think this product is going to help you?
• Would you use this product today?
• What might keep people from using this product?
• What’s the most you would be willing to pay for this product?
• Does this remind of you any other products?

Product Reaction Questions

• What’s most appealing about this product?
• What’s the hardest part about using this product?
• Was there anything surprising or unexpected about this product?
• What could be done to improve this product?
• Was there anything missing from this product that you expected?
• Would you keep using this product after what you saw today?

Use Notejoy for your User Research Interviews

Sharing your user research interview notes through Notejoy is a great way to make notes accessible for everyone, and facilitate an internal discussion. Rather than waiting for the summary, Notejoy's fast and beautiful experience makes it easy for teams to quickly share and collaborate on notes together.

Share your research notebooks with the team

Share a Notejoy library as the single source of truth for your user feedback notes. Multiple people can edit at the same time, and it's also easy to manage who has permission to view and edit notes inside and outside of your organization.

Discuss your research with the entire team

Everyone in the team can participate with threaded discussions and comments. Call out the most interesting insights and ask questions with the entire team with the information in context.

Up to date, searchable, and accessible wherever you are

When you make changes to notes, it happens in real-time so everyone stays in sync. Materials in Notejoy are accessible through web, desktop, and even mobile devices so notes can be added, updated, or searched even when people are away from their desk.

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Sep 1, 2022

The best user research questions and how to ask them

To get the right insights, you need to ask the right questions. Here’s the best user research questions to start gathering feedback right away.

Lorelei Bowman

Content Editor at Maze

Knowing the right user research questions to ask is vital to the success of your UX research. Research is an invaluable source of input for product development, but before you can get started, you need to make sure the questions lined up will get the insights you need, without influencing the data.

Think of this article as your guide to all-things user research questions: what to ask, how to ask it, and how to create your own questions. Let’s get started.

What kind of user research questions are there?

The kind of questions you ask will depend on your research goals—are you looking to gather user feedback, or find out if a particular feature is (or would be) useful? Are you trying to discover what problems bother your user, or whether they’d prefer one solution over another?

Before planning your questions and diving head-first into research, look at your overarching research plan and objectives. Consider this on a project-by-project basis, as your end questions will be drastically different depending on where you are in the product development process . For instance, if you’re in early product discovery , you may want to discover user intent and pain points. Or, if you’re working on a high-fidelity prototype, you might want to see how users interact with the prototype, and how easy it is to use. Asking questions at different stages of your process is a big part of continuous product discovery and ensuring your product remains the best it can be.

💡 If you’re looking to understand the types of question format used in surveys or user questionnaires, take a look at our guide on how to write survey questions .

User research questions can be categorized in many ways—by objective, research scenario, or point in the product journey, to name a few. Since different questions may apply in multiple situations, we’re going to consider questions organized by their research focus.

Questions for user research can typically be categorized three ways:

• Questions about the problem e.g., what are users’ pain points, what task are they trying to complete, what solution do they want
• Questions about the people e.g., who they are, how they use products, what they want to accomplish, how likely are they to use the product
• Questions about the product e.g., how users’ feel about content or design, can they navigate the product, how usable is it, what features do they like or dislike

Now we know what kinds of questions there are, let’s delve into the value of pre-made questions, and some examples of each question type.

Using pre-made user research questions

To elevate your research, you can opt to use pre-existing questions from a question bank. As with all research tools , there are many benefits to this, including saving time and effort, and having many questions to choose from. Using a question bank also ensures questions are always carefully considered, easily understandable for users, and unbiased.

Meet the Maze question bank

An open-source question repository for product teams, our question bank is aimed at helping you ask the best user research questions to gather insight that will help build truly user-centered products.

A good question bank will be multifunctional, with questions you can use when running moderated to unmoderated testing, conducting generative or evaluative research, or gathering quantitative or qualitative data. So you can have one place to go for all your user research question needs.

🚀 Boost your research with Maze templates

If you’re a Maze user, you can also use the question bank as a handy companion to fuel your team’s research with Maze—check out the templates column and question block suggestions for maximum efficiency when building mazes.

Ultimately, a pre-made question bank can help save you a lot of time, and allow you to focus on conducting the research and processing analysis.

If you’d like to create your own questions, let’s get into the different user research question types, what questions they include, and how to ask them.

Click on the image to head straight to the question bank 👆

Questions about the problem

To support product and design decisions behind any solution, you need to be familiar with the problem you (and your users) are trying to solve. Whether you’re starting product discovery and want to understand user pain points, or you’re testing new features and want to gauge which will be most popular— you can’t begin working on a solution until you’ve honed in on what the problem is.

What’s bothering your users? How can you make their lives easier? What’s their key challenge, and what are they trying to achieve that’s being blocked by that problem?

Only once you’ve narrowed down a key problem statement can you translate solutions into the user experience, and identify opportunities for product development .

Questions focusing on the problem you’re trying to solve are key in product discovery stages and concept validation . The reason for using a particular product or feature may vary between users—consider Instagram’s Explore tab: it could be used to find friends, connect with like-minded people, or find inspiration.

Questions that can help hone into the problem at hand include:

• What problems do you face when you do [task]?
• Please complete this sentence: "The most frustrating part of trying to complete [task] is…”
• What is your main goal when trying to complete [task]?
• What is your personal measure of success when it comes to [goal]?
• How are you currently solving [problem]?
• Describe your ideal solution to [problem]

Questions about the people

Understanding the problem you’re trying to solve goes hand in hand with the people who are facing this problem—who they are and how they think, how they adopt and use products, their wants, needs and dislikes.

Put simply, there’s no point building a product if it solves the problem your user is having—but not in the way they wanted it to.

To really understand how your users think, and the way they approach a product, you need to understand their mental models. Broadly speaking, a mental model determines how someone forms their thinking process—it might impact the way they approach a problem, the kind of solution they’d like, and how they expect certain features to work.

UX research methods like card sorting are a good way to understand people’s mental models, but you can also gather this insight through thoughtful user interviews or research questions.

User-focused questions also cover understanding attitudes towards product adoption, use habits and circumstances, pricing models, and demographics.

Some example questions you could ask to learn more about your target users include:

• Are there any products that you prefer to use to do [task]?
• What does your job look like in your company?
• How do you prefer to be trained on new products?
• How much would you pay for [product]?
• Please describe who you might collaborate with when [task]?
• How often do you do [task]?

Questions about the product

Once you understand the problem your product will solve, and the people who’ll be using it, it’s time to circle back to the product itself. Questions about the product may be about its usability, what features you’re including, how users feel about content or design, and whether it does what they need it to.

Just like all research, it’s a good idea to ask product-related questions multiple time during the research phase, as both questions and answer will vary depending on what development stage you’re at—from prioritizing which feature to focus on developing first, to assessing how navigable a certain product section is, or reviewing the appeal of specific design aspects.

To gain a well-rounded understanding of how users find using your product or feature, usability testing is imperative. And, if you’re trying to nail down product navigation and identify any bumps in the user journey, tree testing is the research method of choice.

Whatever your focus, questions relating to the product are useful in both evaluative and generative research , and critical for creating a user-centered, solution-focused product.

Sample questions you can use to learn more about the product and features could include:

• How did you find the language (including but not limited to copy, phrasing, tone) used on the website?
• What’s the single most important thing we could do to make [product] better?
• On a scale of 1-10, how was your experience when [task]?
• Was the product navigation as expected?
• If you could change one thing about the design what would it be and why?
• Thinking about what [product] offers, which of the following best describes your feelings about it?

🤔 To dive into the questions you should be asking during usability testing, check out how to ask effective usability testing questions .

Regardless of what questions you ask, it’s worth bearing in mind that this information should be considered a guide, not a rule—as sometimes what people think they’ll do is not what they always do in practice . This is why it’s so important to continue research and testing in all stages of product development, so you can always be working off the most reliable and up-to-date insight.

Guidelines for crafting the right user research questions

Research questions set the standard of the data you’ll gather with them, so it’s crucial to properly craft each question to maximize insight and ensure accurate results.

Using a pre-made question bank is one way to keep questions effective, but if you’re writing your own questions, bear in mind that everything from the language you use to the structure or format of questions can influence the user’s answer.

The best questions for user interviews and research are clear , precise , and unbiased . Let’s go over some ultimate tips for crafting questions that fulfill this.

Stay neutral: avoid leading questions

One of the most important points when it comes to any research is being a neutral party, which means removing cognitive bias from your work. Research isn’t helpful if it’s biased, so ensure your questions are as impartial as possible—after all, just because you like Concept A over Concept B, doesn’t mean everyone will.

The key to staying neutral is avoiding leading questions where you subconsciously favor one thing over another, or plant an opinion or idea in the user’s mind, such as “How would you use concept A?”—this assumes they preferred concept A, which they may not have. Instead, try asking which concept they would use, followed by how they would use it.

Take it one question at a time

The majority of us think best when our minds are clear and able to focus on one thing, so avoid bombarding research participants with multiple questions phrased together.

Rather than asking a question like “What did you think about the design, copy and layout of the page?”, ask individually about the design, copy, and layout. Otherwise, you risk users merging their thoughts into one answer, when in fact they may feel very differently about each element.

Of course some questions lend themselves to being combined (e.g., “Which concept did you prefer and why?”), but it’s best to keep things separate when possible, and ask “Why?” in follow up questions, to allow users space to think and form individual answers for each question.

Ask open-ended questions

Similar to ensuring questions are unbiased, it’s also a good idea to ask open-ended questions—that is, to avoid questions which result in simply a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

The benefit of open-ended questions is that they give participants an opportunity to expand on their answer, work through their experience, and share details with you that may otherwise be missed. Consider that, while asking “Did you like the product?” may answer whether a user liked it, you’ll be left wondering what it is they like about it. Instead, try framing questions in a way that provides space for additional information, e.g. “What did you think about the product?”.

Pro tip ✨ If you do ask closed-ended questions, always keep follow up questions aside to dig deeper gather and extra insight from your participants.

Help users find their own voice

The language we use is incredibly powerful. Used well, words can move us, sway our opinions, educate us, and more.

By helping your research participants to find their own voice, you can unlock powerful statements and user insights which will truly impact your product. Formatting questions with the user at the center—using ‘you’ and asking emotive questions—builds empathy with the user and encourages them to find and share their own opinions through honest answers.

Ask questions you think you know the answer to

Our final question-crafting tip is to use research questions to test and validate your own assumptions and opinions. Ask questions you think you know the answer to—if you believe all users will prefer one new feature over the other, see if you’re right. If you think a certain design element works better on a different page, ask research participants to determine where they prefer it.

As with any research, while you may be user-adjacent, you are not your users. You are the expert in your product; they are the expert in using your product. Trust their opinions, and use their knowledge and experience to confirm your suspicions, or disprove them. Either way, you gain valuable insights.

User research is as effective as the questions you ask

Whether you’re investigating user preferences or conducting usability testing, research is only as effective as the questions you ask—and how you ask them.

Focus on questions that fit your research objectives, phrase your questions in the best way possible, and work to build empathy with your user; you’ll be able to gather valuable insights in no time.

Frequently asked questions and user research questions

What makes a good user research question?

A good research question is open-ended , unbiased , clear , and precise . It helps research participants share their thoughts, feedback, and opinions with researchers, without influencing or limiting their responses.

What type of user research questions are there?

User research questions can broadly be broken down into three categories:

How do you create a user research question?

There are several ways to create a user research question: you can either write your own question, or select premade questions from an existing research question bank.

If you choose to write your own research questions, it’s important to keep them clear and precise above all else—focus on asking questions that encourage users to open up, share additional information, and speak honestly.

Continue Reading

How to avoid leading questions in UX research (+ examples)

UX research best practices: Building and researching products with ethics in mind

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Sarah Doody

FREE USER RESEARCH INTERVIEW GUIDE

Free Guide: 35 User Research Interview Questions

Learn how to do more effective user research interviews & usability tests with this free template and 5 days or email lessons from Sarah Doody.

10 Essential UX Research Interview Questions  *

Toptal sourced essential questions that the best ux researchers can answer. driven from our community, we encourage experts to submit questions and offer feedback..

Interview Questions

What would be the top four challenges UX researchers face in the current environment?

One attribute of a great UX researcher is the ability to evaluate their work objectively. No matter what stage of their career, there will always be those challenges that every UX researcher strives to overcome in a meaningful way.

Listen for answers that not only describe the challenges they may face but how they overcome them.

According to a recent study, these are the four challenges UX researchers face today:

• Inclusion in the product development process
• Sourcing the right participants for UX research
• Securing resources and budget
• Getting executive buy-in about UX research

The UX researcher who’s being interviewed may not name these four above exactly, but they should voice similar challenges they face every day. Listen for the UX researcher demonstrating an understanding of the root of the problem and a willingness to overcome these challenges by various methods. Ask about how they overcame them.

Listen for answers that include overcoming challenges of working with others with different agendas. A UX researcher will always face challenges around collaborating with professionals from other disciplines, such as C-level executives, marketing teams, sales teams, growth teams, product managers, engineers, and designers.

They may have a challenge justifying their UX research process to specific stakeholders—it may seem too costly and take too long. How do they overcome these obstacles? How do they align their work with that of the goals of the business, the company’s brand, and marketing efforts?

For example, convincing a company they need more in-depth user research before a product is designed, or incorporating proper usability testing during a product design lifecycle can be difficult. How do they advocate for those mentioned above in making their case?

Follow-up questions on this topic:

• Can you tell me about a time you faced one of these challenges in previous projects and how you went about solving it?
• What were the outcomes of this approach?

Describe your UX research process and what methods you follow.

UX research is continuously evolving and searching for new approaches to aid the product design process and solve problems. Seasoned UX researchers have likely been developing their approach to the research process, and will vary from one UX researcher to another.

In general, great UX researchers will walk through the “toolkit” they use when approaching a problem or a project. Depending on resources and time given for research, listen for their flexibility with approaches. Great UX researchers have a deep curiosity and a constant desire to learn about steps they could take to solve user problems. A UX researcher will reach into their toolkit and apply the most effective research methods given the constraints within which they have to work.

Listen for applying different methods of UX research depending on the project. There is primary and secondary UX research, qualitative and quantitative UX research, generative and evaluative UX research. Generative research is conducted during the beginning of the investigative process. It helps UX researchers clearly define a problem and generate a hypothesis for its solution. Evaluative research is executed near the end of the research process, and it’s used to test and refine ideas until the best solution is reached.

One overarching theme should be around a human-centric approach to research; perhaps mention “design thinking,” which follows a thorough understanding of both user and business goals. Key concepts or methods used to carry out this process may include but are not limited to competitive audits, stakeholder interviews, user personas, empathy maps, user research, content audits, minimum viable product (MVP) lean UX, and usability testing. They may also mention conducting user testing—moderated or unmoderated, remote or in-person—multivariate testing, A/B testing, eye tracking, click-tracking heatmaps, and other quantitative analytics.

Apart from the above, listen for UX research methodologies that will help align the product’s design with business goals and marketing, and which encompass the company’s brand promise. By applying these UX research methodologies and learning directly from users, each of the techniques mentioned above can play an essential role in the creation of a product that users will love.

Is UX research important? Why?

A great UX researcher should be passionate about the need for UX research because it’s an essential step in the human-centered UX design process. UX research guides subsequent stages in design to provide effective solutions to customer problems. It is “the soul of the product build process.” The reason why UX research is necessary is because doing user research provides insight into which features to prioritize and helps develop clarity around a project.

A great UX researcher should elaborate on the importance of UX research, break it down into concrete terms, and talk about the need to:

• Focus on the end user and approach product design from the user’s perspective
• Identify the product’s potential user base and build user personas
• Understand users’ behavior, goals, and motivations
• Deep dive into specific areas to identify user needs
• Tease out actionable insights from UX research to help the product design process

As to why it’s important to conduct UX research, listen for the following great reasons for doing UX research.

• If you don’t have a clear understanding of your users and their mental models, you have no way of knowing whether your design will be relevant. A design that is not relevant to its target audience will never be a success.
• A favorite quote from Steve Jobs: “If the user is having a problem, it’s our problem.” If your user experience is not optimal, chances are that people will move on to another product.
• An improvement in performance and credibility
• Increased exposure and sales—growth in customer base

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How do you approach UX research?

The answer will help you discover what kind of UX researcher you may be hiring.

Listen for answers that include a discussion around empathy—things like “walking a mile in a customer’s shoes” (customer journeys) and a human-centered, goal-driven approach to designing products. Empathizing with people often means engaging in in-depth user research to solve problems. It’s essential to ask the right questions in order to come up with reliable solutions, and to ask great questions, researchers need to be able to empathize with people and gather relevant information through in-depth UX research.

Also, listen for two main types of user research, such as qualitative research and quantitative research. Qualitative research is about gathering insights and is concerned with descriptions, which can be observed but cannot be computed. Qualitative user research is a direct assessment of behavior based on observation. It’s about understanding people’s beliefs and practices on their terms. It can involve several different methods, including contextual observation, ethnographic studies, interviews, field studies, and moderated usability tests.

Quantitative research is primarily exploratory research and is used to quantify the problem by way of generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into useful statistics. Some standard data collection methods include various forms of surveys (online surveys, paper surveys, mobile surveys, and kiosk surveys), longitudinal studies, website interceptors, online polls, and systematic observations.

Quantitative data from analytics platforms should ideally be balanced with qualitative insights gathered from other UX testing methods, such as focus groups or usability testing. The analytical data will show patterns that may be useful for deciding what assumptions to test further.

Most great UX researchers know that it’s about balance: employing the right amount of each type of research depending on the scenario. A great UX researcher doesn’t rely on one or the other exclusively. It’s about the right mix of the two. The reason why they need to do qualitative research, for example, is because the most critical information is often not quantifiable, and quantitative analysis is often too narrow to be useful and can sometimes be outright misleading.

Describe a recent UX research project you were particularly challenged by and how you approached the problem.

This question should help you understand more about a UX researcher’s process. What kind of project was it? What did they find challenging, and why? How did they set out to come up with a solution? While there is no right or wrong way to approach a particular challenge, having a clear strategy to facilitate an end goal is essential.

For example—on an existing product—they may have found it challenging to define the problem. Did they gather extra user-generated data to help them crystallize the problem? It could mean collecting data using analytics, or it might involve testing the design on a specific demographic in a format that makes the most sense. This could include testing wireframes or interactive prototypes on users to either validate or reject hypotheses, or it could be sending a survey to a broader demographic to understand product-market fit better.

For example, did they employ remote moderated user testing or another form of remote research methodology to listen to users and arrive at better design solutions?

Did they interface with C-level executives and company marketing and sales teams to better understand business goals, the customers, and what problem the product was trying to solve?

Potentially, a UX researcher may start multivariate testing or A/B testing and let data lead the way until they hit a roadblock, then continue iterating until they achieve a satisfactory result. UX researchers thrive on solving challenges, so the right candidate should readily share enthusiasm about how they approach problems.

Since UX research is at the core of HCD (human-centered design), can you provide some examples of your experience dealing with HCD?

First and foremost, human-centered design is all about understanding your users. A good UX researcher will help design products that work well across a variety of use cases across a wide range of audiences.

A seasoned UX researcher should be able to elaborate on how they think of and engage user research, which, in essence, drives human-centered design. What “lenses” do they use when conducting user research? These “lenses” could be ethnographic studies, field studies and contextual observations, focus groups, surveys, and diary studies.

Reflecting on past projects, they should mention details of how they set goals for the research and came up with a research plan, how the organizational aspect was approached, the recruiting of representative users—what kind of research questions they asked, and how the results were analyzed. While there is more than one approach to facilitating user research, the designer should have a clear description of the method, the sample size required to gain a meaningful result, and speak to the interpretation of the data.

Look for a UX researcher who understands how to measure appropriately by selecting the minimum number of subjects needed to gain a strong understanding of the research, and comprehends what they are testing and seeking to understand.

Testing product designs is a vital aspect of UX research. For usability testing, the UX researcher should discuss the methodologies they used. Did they conduct structured, one-on-one interviews with users while they tried specific tasks with product prototypes? Listen for how they’d define a successful test, i.e., what key revelations were gathered and how the data was distilled into practical, actionable insights. Did they use moderated or unmoderated usability testing? (Unmoderated testing examples may include eye-tracking, click-tracking heatmaps, online card sorting exercises, and more.)

How do you go about recruiting the right UX research participants?

UX researchers should spend the time necessary to identify and find the right people with whom to conduct user research. The quality of the final UX research report will be built on the quality of the feedback sources: the UX research participants.

A great UX researcher will identify the user base (personas) for a given product and set out to find representative participants for UX research and user testing. They should also form relationships with gatekeepers who can provide researchers with access to end users.

Listen for specific recruiting strategies based on the type of product they may be working on as well as ways to screen UX research participants to find the optimal mix. UX researchers should seek out users with varied experiences with a product.

For example, seek out users who no longer use the service or are inactive. Finding out why they’ve dropped off (Have they turned to a competitor? No longer need the product? Or something else?) can lend valuable insights into how to improve the product.

Customers who have spent much time complaining to support are also valuable. These people are usually invested in making the product better and will feel validated having their opinions heard.

Looking at where the product is currently marketed (social media, newsletters, specific websites or blogs) can be a useful way to find the types of people the company is already targeting. Other options could include paid surveys and UX testing platforms like usertesting.com.

There’s also the option of going “into the wild,” as in guerilla user research. For example, if creating a mobile app for grocery coupons, researchers could head to their local grocery store to gather feedback. The more genuine the participant, the higher-quality the results will be.

In a B2B environment, UX researchers should consider how to communicate with participants most effectively and whether they need to go through gatekeepers or if they can communicate with users directly. Different companies will have different procedures for this.

How do they reach out to potential participants and how do they manage the process?

How do they ascertain if an incentive should be offered and how do they determine what the incentive should be?

What are the UX research deliverables?

The work of a UX researcher happens in many different environments—from lean startups and Agile environments where teams work with little documentation to consulting engagements for third parties or large enterprises and government entities with strict documentation requirements. Regardless of the nature of the engagement or environment (and the one thing that ties it all together), UX researchers need to effectively communicate their research findings and the context of projects to a range of audiences.

During a UX research process, researchers will produce a wide variety of “artifacts” and project deliverables as part of their UX research methodology. Deliverables may take many forms because they help UX researchers communicate with various stakeholders and teams. It may be documenting the UX research, delivering reports, and providing artifacts for meetings and ideation sessions.

Some UX research deliverables include but are not limited to:

• UX research plans
• Survey analysis reports
• Consolidated interview analysis reports
• Consolidated insights from user observation research reports
• Competitor analysis reports
• Affinity maps
• Empathy maps
• User personas
• User testing plans
• Usability testing reports
• User analytics (geographic, demographic, device used, etc. data)
• Product usage analytics reports
• UX research reports—that may be consolidated reports of most of the above

How do you distill UX research into actionable insights?

If conducting UX research is divergent thinking, then synthesizing is convergent. UX researchers may collect copious amounts of data, but the meaning of all that data won’t necessarily become apparent until they synthesize it. Researchers take an array of data and restructure it into a handful of insights to prioritize those insights. There isn’t one right way to do it, and they may use many different methods to synthesize UX research, including affinity maps, empathy maps, personas, problem statements, and journey maps.

Generally, listen for how UX researchers go through specific steps in a well-defined process as they look for themes and patterns from which to draw practical conclusions. Through a rigorous process, the aim should be to go from findings to actionable insights which they can share with the broader product and design teams. It is a process, and each UX researcher may have their preferred method depending on the type of research they did. With each UX research method, they may employ different approaches to extract the most impactful ideas.

For example, they might be distilling a user interview series with a dozen users. They would perhaps take notes, use post-its to keep track of critical insights, and identify salient points (rather than just summarizing the interview.)

It’s best to listen for various types of methods they may use, the distilling process, and how they approach each UX research project a different way to find actionable insights.

What tools do you use for conducting UX research?

Since UX research techniques vary, so do the tools UX researchers use. Listen for how the UX researcher describes their experience with various tools and how they use them. The UX researcher should be well-versed in an arsenal of tools and use each one appropriately, depending on the UX research project.

For example, for user interviews—one-on-one sessions that can be conducted in a variety of ways—they may use video conferencing apps such as Skype, BlueJeans, or Zoom, with which they can also record the interview for future analysis. When they employ guerrilla-style interviews—where a UX researcher performs impromptu interviews with a random set of users (such as at a coffee shop)—they may use a small audio recording device.

Similarly, for remote user testing, they may use video conferencing apps as mentioned above or more sophisticated online tools such as usertesting.com, UserZoom, Lookback, and Userbrain. With all of these tools, product testing sessions can be recorded, including the participant’s desktop or mobile screen and the tester’s and the participant’s face and voice.

For user surveys, they may use tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, scalable, inexpensive means to collect specific information from users.

They may mention generating lots of notes from contextual observations, and when distilling the collected information and constructing an affinity map, they may use sticky notes or an online tool, such as Miro or DoGo Maps.

For card sorting—a generative UX research method that reveals users’ mental models by having them arrange topics into groups that make sense to them—they may use paper cards or various online tools, such as OptimalSort.

For multivariate and A/B testing, they may mention Crazy Egg, Google Optimize, Optimizely, or Maxymiser.

For website usage analysis, they may use widely used tools such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics, and for precise in-product usage metrics, they may use Mixpanel or Pendo.

For eye-tracking and scroll heatmaps, session replays, and conversion funnels, they may be familiar with Hotjar, Crazy Egg, Inspectlet, Clicktale, or EyeQuant.

There is more to interviewing than tricky technical questions, so these are intended merely as a guide. Not every “A” candidate worth hiring will be able to answer them all, nor does answering them all guarantee an “A” candidate. At the end of the day, hiring remains an art, a science — and a lot of work .

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Alesha is a seasoned UX research leader with extensive experience spearheading programs, initiatives, and teams in highly regulated industries and organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 100 and Global 1000 enterprises. She thrives with a proactive and collaborative approach in both senior contributor and leadership roles, delivering data-driven, transformative impacts on strategic business initiatives, product design, process development, service delivery, and revenue generation.

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Judit is an experienced UX researcher and designer who has helped companies of all sizes, startups, and entrepreneurs design and build meaningful digital products since 2012. Working closely with product teams, she provides strategy, UX research, design, and testing through all stages of a product's lifecycle.

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Mathew specializes in UX research and design for products, services, and experiences that take large and small businesses to the next level. He has 15 years of experience in hands-on design and leading teams across all phases of the design lifecycle, from defining an experience vision to designing screens. Mathew has designed for many well-known and luxury brands, including Auchan, Balenciaga, BNP Paribas, Carrefour, Cartier, Europcar, Kering, Panasonic, Pernod Ricard, Swarovski, and YSL Beauty.

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How to write user research questions that get the most value

Writing the right kind of user research questions is the most important part of a user interview. The interview process is one of the first steps in your team’s design plan that yields valuable insights from the people you want to build something for. Getting out of their way and letting them talk is paramount.

The thing to keep in mind when writing the questions for a user interview is to give the interviewee as much space to state their genuine opinion as possible. Many people will be susceptible to questions that guide them toward one answer or another. To truly understand the pain points and motivation for a user — and then building a great product from that information — you have to let them feel like any answer is the right one.

See all the possibilities of user research we use here

Analyzing the motivations behind user survey questions

There aren’t one-size-fits-all questions that have to be included in every user interview. There are general motivations behind the questions you can ask that guide you toward the right wording.

Let’s look at an example set of questions we might use in interviewing users about a roommate finding app. We’ll show you the questions and then the reasoning behind them so you can use a similar methodology.

As you can see, the questions leave a lot of space for the user to fill in their own experiences. The interview process is around 45 minutes, so you’ll want to have many more questions than just the kinds outlined above. Let’s break down some overall best practices for interviewing a user:

• “How do you feel about…”
• “What do you think about…”
• “Tell me about the last time…”
• “Yes, I understand.”
• “Tell me about what a typical day is like on the job…
• “Is there anything else I should know?”

There are also general rules to follow to ensure you don’t end up pointing a user toward a specific answer:

• The goal is to simply understand how they do the process now. What would make things easier for the user will show itself in the interview process?
• Bad: “Would you use this feature if it was available?”
• Better: “How are you doing this right now?”
• Bad: “What do you think about how we designed this?”
• Better: “What do you think about this?
• Bad: “How did you discover and respond to that information?”
• Better: “How did you discover this information?” and then “How did you respond to that information?”

See how user research fits into the bigger design picture

Taking notes during user research interview questions

The best way to manage a user research interview is two roles: the interviewer and the note taker. The interviewer asks the questions and keeps the interview on track, the note taker documents the answers as the interview progresses.

The note taker during the interview process should also be on the lookout for biases or pre-judgments when documenting the experiences of the user interview. While you can use a computer to type answers or a notebook to write them down, we prefer putting each idea on a single post-it note. This way we can easily layout all of the ideas after the interview to rearrange things based on importance. It also helps to see everything in the big picture of post-its on a whiteboard to take in the big picture of a user’s thoughts.

Similar to the best practices for formulating questions, the note taker should be as close to the exact phrasing of the user as it can be. Don’t put your own interpretation or spin on what is said. Also be sure to include direct quotes, especially ones that stand out to you. Those are very impactful for the rest of the process. Often a good direct quote about the heart of a user’s pain point will be pointed to in the discussions amongst your team.

User research interviews will help you build the right thing

The more your team conducts user research interviews, the better you will get at extracting those insights from potential users. Same with drawing conclusions after your interviews. Once you’ve assembled the user’s answers in sticky notes onto a wall or white-board, patterns will start to emerge. Using those patterns to guide your building process will ensure you make something useful. If you’d like us to help guide your team through this process, get in touch with us here .

Published in Design Thinking|User Research

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How to write effective UX research questions (with examples)

Collecting and analyzing real user feedback is essential in delivering an excellent user experience (UX). But not all user research is created equal—and done wrong, it can lead to confusion, miscommunication, and non-actionable results.

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You need to ask the right UX research questions to get the valuable insights necessary to continually optimize your product and generate user delight. 

This article shows you how to write strong UX research questions, ensuring you go beyond guesswork and assumptions . It covers the difference between open- and close-ended research questions, explains how to go about creating your own UX research questions, and provides several examples to get you started.

Use Hotjar to ask your users the right UX research questions

Put your UX research questions to work with Hotjar's Feedback and Survey tools to uncover product experience insights

The different types of UX research questions

Let’s face it, asking the right UX research questions is hard. It’s a skill that takes a lot of practice and can leave even the most seasoned UX researchers drawing a blank.

There are two main categories of UX research questions: open-ended and close-ended, both of which are essential to achieving thorough, high-quality UX research. Qualitative research—based on descriptions and experiences—leans toward open-ended questions, whereas quantitative research leans toward closed-ended questions.

Let’s dive into the differences between them.

Open-ended UX research questions

Open-ended UX research questions are exactly what they sound like: they prompt longer, more free-form responses, rather than asking someone to choose from established possible answers—like multiple-choice tests.

Open questions are easily recognized because they:

Usually begin with how, why, what, describe, or tell me

Can’t be easily answered with just yes or no, or a word or two

Are qualitative rather than quantitative

If there’s a simple fact you’re trying to get to, a closed question would work. For anything involving our complex and messy human nature, open questions are the way to go.

Open-ended research questions aim to discover more about research participants and gather candid user insights, rather than seeking specific answers.

Some examples of UX research that use open-ended questions include:

Usability testing

Diary studies

Persona research

Use case research

Task analysis

Check out a concrete example of an open-ended UX research question in action below. Hotjar’s Survey tool is a perfect way of gathering longer-form user feedback, both on-site and externally.

Pros and cons of open-ended UX research questions

Like everything in life, open-ended UX research questions have their pros and cons.

Advantages of open-ended questions include:

Detailed, personal answers

Great for storytelling

Good for connecting with people on an emotional level

Helpful to gauge pain points, frustrations, and desires

Researchers usually end up discovering more than initially expected

Less vulnerable to bias

 Drawbacks include:

People find them more difficult to answer than closed-ended questions

More time-consuming for both the researcher and the participant

Can be difficult to conduct with large numbers of people

Can be challenging to dig through and analyze open-ended questions

Closed-ended UX research questions

Close-ended UX research questions have limited possible answers. Participants can respond to them with yes or no, by selecting an option from a list, by ranking or rating, or with a single word.

They’re easy to recognize because they’re similar to classic exam-style questions.

More technical industries might start with closed UX research questions because they want statistical results. Then, we’ll move on to more open questions to see how customers really feel about the software we put together.

While open-ended research questions reveal new or unexpected information, closed-ended research questions work well to test assumptions and answer focused questions. They’re great for situations like:

Surveying a large number of participants

When you want quantitative insights and hard data to create metrics

When you’ve already asked open-ended UX research questions and have narrowed them down into close-ended questions based on your findings

If you’re evaluating something specific so the possible answers are limited

If you’re going to repeat the same study in the future and need uniform questions and answers

Wondering what a closed-ended UX research question might look in real life? The example below shows how Hotjar’s Feedback widgets help UX researchers hear from users 'in the wild' as they navigate.

The different types of closed-ended questions

There are several different ways to ask close-ended UX research questions, including:

Customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys

CSAT surveys are closed-ended UX research questions that explore customer satisfaction levels by asking users to rank their experience on some kind of scale, like the happy and angry icons in the image below.

On-site widgets like Hotjar's Feedback tool below excel at gathering quick customer insights without wreaking havoc on the user experience. They’re especially popular on ecommerce sites or after customer service interactions.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys

NPS surveys are another powerful type of (mostly) closed-ended UX research questions. They ask customers how likely they are to recommend a company, product, or service to their community. Responses to NPS surveys are used to calculate Net Promoter Score .

NPS surveys split customers into three categories:

Promoters (9-10): Your most enthusiastic, vocal, and loyal customers

Passives (7-8): Ho-hum. They’re more or less satisfied customers but could be susceptible to jumping ship

Detractors (0-6): Dissatisfied customers who are at a high risk of spreading bad reviews

Net Promoter Score is a key metric used to predict business growth, track long-term success, and gauge overall customer satisfaction.

Pro tip: while the most important question to ask in an NPS survey is readiness to recommend, it shouldn’t be the only one. Asking follow-up questions can provide more context and a deeper understanding of the customer experience. Combining Hotjar Feedback widgets with standalone Surveys is a great strategy for tracking NPS through both quick rankings and qualitative feedback.

Pros and cons of closed-ended research questions

Close-ended UX research questions have solid advantages, including:

More measurable data to convert into statistics and metrics

Higher response rates because they’re generally more straightforward for people to answer

Easier to coordinate when surveying a large number of people

Great for evaluating specifics and facts

Little to no irrelevant answers to comb through

Putting the UX researcher in control

But closed-ended questions can be tricky to get right. Their disadvantages include:

Leading participants to response bias

Preventing participants from telling the whole story

The lack of insight into opinions or emotions

Too many possible answers overwhelming participants

Too few possible answers, meaning the 'right' answer for each participant might not be included

How to form your own UX research questions

To create effective UX questions, start by defining your research objectives and hypotheses, which are assumptions you’ll put to the test with user feedback.

Use this tried-and-tested formula to create research hypotheses by filling in the blanks according to your unique user and business goals:

We believe (doing x)

For (x people)

Will achieve (x outcome)

For example: ' We believe adding a progress indicator into our checkout process (for customers) will achieve 20% lower cart abandonment rates.'

Pro tip: research hypotheses aren’t set in stone. Keep them dynamic as you formulate, change, and re-evaluate them throughout the UX research process, until your team comes away with increased certainty about their initial assumption.

When nailing down your hypotheses, remember that research is just as much about discovering new questions as it is about getting answers. Don’t think of research as a validation exercise where you’re looking to confirm something you already know. Instead, cultivate an attitude of exploration and strive to dig deeper into user emotions, needs, and challenges.

Once you have a working hypothesis, identify your UX research objective . Your objective should be linked to your hypothesis, defining what your product team wants to accomplish with your research—for example, ' We want to improve our cart abandonment rates by providing customers with a seamless checkout experience.'

Now that you’ve formulated a hypothesis and research objective, you can create your general or 'big picture' research questions . These define precisely what you want to discover through your research, but they’re not the exact questions you’ll ask participants. This is an important distinction because big picture research questions focus on the researchers themselves rather than users.

A big picture question might be something like: ' How can we improve our cart abandonment rates?'

With a strong hypothesis, objective, and general research question in the bag, you’re finally ready to create the questions you’ll ask participants.

32 examples of inspiring UX research questions

There are countless different categories of UX research questions.

We focus on open-ended, ecommerce-oriented questions here , but with a few tweaks, these could be easily transformed into closed-ended questions.

For example, an open-ended question like, 'Tell us about your overall experience shopping on our website' could be turned into a closed-ended question such as, ' Did you have a positive experience finding everything you needed on our website?'

Screening questions

Screening questions are the first questions you ask UX research participants. They help you get to know your customers and work out whether they fit into your ideal user personas.

These survey question examples focus on demographic and experience-based questions. For instance:

Tell me about yourself. Who are you and what do you do?

What does a typical day look like for you?

How old are you?

What’s the highest level of education that you’ve completed?

How comfortable do you feel using the internet?

How comfortable do you feel browsing or buying products online?

How frequently do you buy products online?

Do you prefer shopping in person or online? Why?

Awareness questions

Awareness questions explore how long your participants have been aware of your brand and how much they know about it. Some good options include:

How did you find out about our brand?

What prompted you to visit our website for the first time?

If you’ve visited our website multiple times, what made you come back?

How long was the gap between finding out about us and your first purchase?

Expectation questions

Expectation questions investigate the assumptions UX research participants have about brands, products, or services before using them. For example:

What was your first impression of our brand?

What was your first impression of X product or service?

How do you think using X product or service would benefit you?

What problem would X product or service solve for you?

Do you think X product or service is similar to another one on the market? Please specify.

Task-specific questions

Task-specific questions focus on user experiences as they complete actions on your site. Some examples include:

Tell us what you thought about the overall website design and content layout

How was your browsing experience?

How was your checkout experience?

What was the easiest task to complete on our website?

What was the hardest task to complete on our website?

Experience questions

Experience questions dig deeper into research participants’ holistic journeys as they navigate your site. These include:

Tell us how you felt when you landed on our website homepage

How can we improve the X page of our website?

What motivated you to purchase X product or service?

What stopped you from purchasing X product or service?

Was your overall experience positive or negative while shopping on our website? Why?

Concluding questions

Concluding questions ask participants to reflect on their overall experience with your brand, product, or service. For instance:

What are your biggest questions about X product or service?

What are your biggest concerns about X product or service?

If you could change one thing about X product or service, what would it be?

Would you recommend X product or service to a friend?

How would you compare X product or service to X competitor?

Excellent research questions are key for an optimal UX

To create a fantastic UX, you need to understand your users on a deeper level.

Crafting strong questions to deploy during the research process is an important way to gain that understanding, because UX research shouldn’t center on what you want to learn but what your users can teach you.

UX research question FAQs

What are ux research questions.

UX research questions can refer to two different things: general UX research questions and UX interview questions. 

Both are vital components of UX research and work together to accomplish the same goals—understanding user needs and pain points, challenging assumptions, discovering new insights, and finding solutions.

General UX research questions focus on what UX researchers want to discover through their study. 

UX interview questions are the exact questions researchers ask participants during their research study.

What are examples of UX research questions?

UX research question examples can be split into several categories. Some of the most popular include:

Screening questions: help get to know research participants better and focus on demographic and experience-based information. For example: “What does a typical day look like for you?”

Awareness questions: explore how much research participants know about your brand, product, or service. For example: “What prompted you to visit our website for the first time?”

Expectation questions: investigate assumptions research participants have about your brand, product, or service. For example: “What was your first impression of X?”

Task-specific questions: dive into participants’ experiences trying to complete actions on your site. For example: “What was the easiest task to complete on our website?”

Experience questions: dig deep into participants’ overall holistic experiences navigating through your site. For example: “Was your overall experience shopping on our website positive or negative? Why?”

Concluding questions: ask participants to reflect on their overall experience with your brand, product, or service. For example: “What are your biggest concerns about (x product or service)?”

What’s the difference between open-ended and closed-ended UX research questions?

The difference between open- and closed-ended UX research questions is simple. Open-ended UX research questions prompt long, free-form responses. They’re qualitative rather than quantitative and can’t be answered easily with yes or no, or a word or two. They’re easy to recognize because they begin with terms like how, why, what, describe, and tell me.

On the other hand, closed-ended UX research questions have limited possible answers. Participants can respond to them with yes or no, by selecting an option from a list, by rating or ranking options, or with just a word or two.

UX research process

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30 User Experience Researcher Interview Questions and Answers

Common User Experience Researcher interview questions, how to answer them, and example answers from a certified career coach.

User experience (UX) researchers play a pivotal role in ensuring that digital products and services meet the needs of their users. To excel in this field, you must combine your analytical skills with a deep understanding of human behavior to create insights that drive better design decisions. As you prepare for your upcoming interview, it’s essential not only to demonstrate your knowledge of UX principles but also to showcase your ability to empathize with users and communicate effectively with cross-functional teams.

In this article, we will explore some common User Experience Researcher interview questions, along with tips on how to approach them and sample answers to help you make a lasting impression on your future employer.

1. Can you describe your experience with various research methodologies, such as usability testing, interviews, surveys, and contextual inquiries?

Diving into the world of user experience research requires a versatile skill set and an understanding of different research methods. Each approach can offer unique insights into user behavior, preferences, and pain points. The interviewer wants to gauge your familiarity and experience with these methods, ensuring that you can select the appropriate approach for a given project and effectively analyze the gathered data to inform design decisions and enhance the overall user experience.

Example: “Throughout my career as a User Experience Researcher, I have employed various research methodologies to gather valuable insights and improve product design. Usability testing has been one of the most frequently used methods in my toolkit. I’ve conducted both moderated and unmoderated tests, using tools like UserTesting.com and Optimal Workshop, to evaluate user interactions with prototypes and live products.

Interviews and surveys have also played an essential role in my research process. I’ve designed and executed semi-structured interviews to understand users’ needs, motivations, and pain points. For surveys, I’ve utilized platforms such as SurveyMonkey and Google Forms to collect quantitative data on user preferences and satisfaction levels.

Contextual inquiries have provided me with invaluable information about how users interact with products in their natural environments. In these studies, I’ve observed users performing tasks while taking notes and asking questions to gain a deeper understanding of their thought processes and challenges they face. This method has helped me uncover hidden issues that might not surface during lab-based usability testing or interviews.”

2. How do you determine which research method is most appropriate for a given project?

Employers want to know if you possess the ability to critically evaluate and select the most effective research methods for each unique project. Your ability to choose the right approach will have a direct impact on the insights you gather and ultimately how well you can improve the overall user experience. Having a clear understanding of different research methods and their strengths and weaknesses demonstrates your expertise in the field and your ability to adapt to various project requirements.

Example: “Determining the most appropriate research method for a given project depends on several factors, such as the project’s goals, timeline, and available resources. First, I identify the primary objectives of the research, whether it is to explore user needs, evaluate existing designs, or validate new concepts. This helps me understand if we need qualitative insights, quantitative data, or a combination of both.

Once I have a clear understanding of the research objectives, I consider the project constraints, such as budget, time, and access to participants. For instance, if there is limited time and budget, I might opt for more cost-effective methods like surveys or heuristic evaluations. On the other hand, if the goal is to gain in-depth insights into user behavior and preferences, I would lean towards methods like interviews, usability testing, or ethnographic studies.

It’s essential to maintain open communication with stakeholders throughout this decision-making process, ensuring that their expectations are aligned with the chosen research method and its potential outcomes. Ultimately, selecting the right research method involves balancing the project’s goals, constraints, and stakeholder expectations to deliver valuable and actionable insights.”

3. What tools or software have you used to conduct user research and analyze data?

Gauging your familiarity with user research tools and software is essential for employers, as it helps them determine your expertise and adaptability in the field. They want to ensure that you have the necessary skills to gather, analyze, and present data effectively, ultimately contributing to the enhancement of their product or service’s user experience. Your answer will also give them insight into your preferred research methodologies and your ability to learn new tools if required.

Example: “Throughout my career as a user experience researcher, I have utilized various tools and software to conduct research and analyze data effectively. For remote usability testing, I often use platforms like UserTesting or Lookback, which allow me to observe users interacting with prototypes in real-time and gather valuable insights.

When it comes to survey design and distribution, I rely on tools such as SurveyMonkey or Google Forms for creating questionnaires and collecting responses. To analyze qualitative data from interviews or open-ended questions, I employ thematic analysis using software like NVivo or Dedoose, which helps me identify patterns and trends across the collected data.

For quantitative data analysis, I am proficient in using Excel and SPSS to perform statistical tests and generate visualizations that aid in understanding the results. Additionally, I utilize collaborative tools like Miro or Trello for organizing research findings and sharing them with the team, ensuring everyone stays informed and aligned throughout the project.”

4. Describe a time when you had to adapt your research approach due to unforeseen challenges.

Adaptability is a key attribute for a user experience researcher, as research projects can often face unexpected obstacles or situations. Interviewers want to learn about your ability to pivot when necessary and still deliver valuable insights. By asking about a specific instance, they can gauge your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as your resourcefulness under pressure—all essential qualities for a successful UX researcher.

Example: “During a recent project, I was conducting usability testing on a mobile app prototype. The initial plan involved in-person sessions with participants to observe their interactions and gather real-time feedback. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to switch to remote testing at the last minute.

To adapt to this challenge, I quickly set up an online platform for remote usability testing that allowed participants to access the prototype from their devices while sharing their screens. I also prepared a clear set of instructions for them to follow during the session, ensuring they understood how to navigate the platform and provide feedback effectively. Throughout the process, I maintained open communication with the participants, addressing any concerns or technical issues that arose.

Despite the unexpected change in approach, the remote testing proved successful. We were able to collect valuable insights into user behavior and preferences, which ultimately helped us refine the app’s design and functionality. This experience taught me the importance of being flexible and resourceful when faced with challenges in research projects.”

5. How do you ensure that your research findings are unbiased and objective?

Asking this question allows interviewers to gauge your understanding of the importance of objectivity and accuracy in research. They want to know if you’re aware of potential biases and have strategies in place to minimize their impact on your findings. Demonstrating your commitment to unbiased research helps to ensure that the insights and recommendations you provide will lead to the development of user-friendly products and services.

Example: “To ensure that my research findings are unbiased and objective, I start by carefully designing the research methodology. This includes selecting a diverse participant pool to represent various user groups and creating well-structured questions or tasks that avoid leading participants towards specific answers.

During data collection, I maintain a neutral stance while interacting with participants, avoiding any personal opinions or assumptions that could influence their responses. Additionally, I use multiple data sources, such as quantitative and qualitative methods, to triangulate findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior.

When analyzing the data, I focus on identifying patterns and trends without imposing preconceived notions. Collaborating with other researchers or team members during analysis can also help minimize individual biases and ensure objectivity. Finally, I present the findings in a clear and transparent manner, highlighting both positive and negative aspects, so stakeholders can make informed decisions based on accurate insights.”

6. Can you provide an example of how your research has directly impacted the design or development of a product?

This question highlights your ability to turn research insights into actionable recommendations for product design and development. As a user experience researcher, your primary goal is to understand user needs and behavior and translate those findings into improvements that enhance user satisfaction. Interviewers want to see that you have experience collaborating with cross-functional teams and can effectively communicate your research results to influence positive changes in the product offerings.

Example: “Certainly! In a previous project, I was working on the redesign of an e-commerce website. My research involved conducting usability tests and interviews with users to identify pain points in their shopping experience. One key finding from my research was that users were struggling with the site’s navigation, particularly when trying to find specific products or categories.

Based on this insight, our design team restructured the information architecture and implemented a more intuitive menu system. We also added a prominent search bar to help users quickly locate items they were looking for. After implementing these changes, we conducted another round of usability testing to validate our solutions. The results showed significant improvements in user satisfaction and task completion rates, which ultimately led to increased sales and reduced customer support inquiries related to navigation issues. This example demonstrates how my research directly influenced the product’s design, leading to tangible benefits for both the business and its customers.”

7. How do you prioritize research questions and objectives in a project with limited resources or tight deadlines?

Resource constraint is a reality in many industries, and hiring managers want to know that you can prioritize effectively under pressure. Demonstrating your ability to identify the most critical research questions and objectives will show that you can make strategic decisions, helping ensure that your work has the greatest impact on the user experience and overall project success. This also speaks to your ability to collaborate and communicate with team members to find the best course of action in challenging situations.

Example: “When faced with limited resources or tight deadlines, prioritizing research questions and objectives becomes essential. I start by collaborating closely with the project stakeholders to identify the most critical business goals and user needs that must be addressed in the given timeframe. This helps us align our priorities and ensures that we focus on what matters most for both the users and the organization.

Once we have a clear understanding of these key goals, I categorize the research questions based on their potential impact and feasibility within the constraints. High-impact questions that can be answered with available resources are prioritized, while lower-impact or resource-intensive questions may be deferred or approached using alternative methods. Throughout this process, maintaining open communication with stakeholders is vital to ensure everyone stays informed about the progress and any necessary adjustments to the research plan.”

8. Describe your process for recruiting participants for user research studies.

Understanding your methods for recruiting research participants demonstrates your ability to gather valuable insights from diverse users. The selection process directly affects the quality of data collected, which in turn informs the design and development of a product. Interviewers want to ensure you have the skills to identify and engage the right people effectively and ethically to gather meaningful feedback.

Example: “When recruiting participants for user research studies, I start by defining the target audience based on the project’s goals and objectives. This involves creating a detailed participant profile that outlines demographics, behaviors, and other relevant characteristics.

Once the target audience is defined, I use various recruitment methods to reach potential participants. These may include leveraging existing customer databases, utilizing social media platforms, or partnering with specialized recruitment agencies. To ensure a diverse and representative sample, I often combine multiple channels to cast a wider net.

After identifying potential participants, I screen them using pre-defined criteria to confirm their suitability for the study. This process typically involves conducting short interviews or administering online surveys. Once the final list of participants is confirmed, I coordinate with them to schedule sessions, provide necessary information about the study, and obtain consent forms if required. Throughout this process, I maintain open communication with stakeholders to keep them informed of progress and address any concerns they might have.”

9. How do you handle situations where stakeholders disagree with your research findings or recommendations?

Conflict resolution and effective communication are essential traits for a User Experience Researcher. Interviewers want to assess how you approach differing opinions and maintain a collaborative environment while defending your research findings. They are interested in your ability to navigate these situations and ensure that the best decisions are made for the end user, while maintaining positive working relationships with your team and stakeholders.

Example: “When stakeholders disagree with my research findings or recommendations, I first make sure to actively listen to their concerns and understand the reasons behind their disagreement. This helps me identify any gaps in communication or potential misunderstandings that may have led to the disagreement.

Once I’ve gathered their input, I revisit the data and methodology used in the research to ensure its validity and accuracy. If necessary, I’ll provide additional context or clarification on how the conclusions were reached. In some cases, it might be helpful to present alternative solutions or approaches based on the stakeholder’s feedback, while still keeping user needs at the forefront of the discussion.

Throughout this process, I maintain open lines of communication and emphasize collaboration, as our shared goal is to create the best possible user experience. Ultimately, by addressing concerns transparently and working together, we can find a solution that aligns with both the research insights and the stakeholders’ perspectives.”

10. What role does empathy play in your approach to user experience research?

Empathy is fundamental to understanding the user’s perspective and experience, and as a user experience researcher, your job revolves around gaining insights into how users interact with products or services. By showcasing your ability to empathize with users, you demonstrate your capacity to identify pain points, uncover unmet needs, and ultimately develop solutions that lead to more intuitive, user-friendly designs. A strong empathy-driven approach ensures that you’re able to effectively advocate for the user’s needs throughout the development process.

Example: “Empathy is a fundamental aspect of my approach to user experience research, as it allows me to truly understand users’ needs, motivations, and pain points. When conducting research, I make an effort to put myself in the users’ shoes and see things from their perspective. This helps me identify potential issues they may face while interacting with a product or service.

To cultivate empathy, I use various research methods such as interviews, surveys, and usability testing to gather qualitative data about users’ experiences. This information provides valuable insights into their emotions, preferences, and expectations. Additionally, I actively engage with stakeholders and design teams to communicate these findings effectively, ensuring that our solutions are tailored to address users’ needs and enhance their overall experience. In essence, empathy serves as the foundation for creating user-centered designs that resonate with our target audience and contribute to the success of the product.”

11. How do you stay current on industry trends and best practices in UX research?

Keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of UX research is essential for any professional in the field. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your commitment to continuous learning and your ability to adapt to the latest trends and methodologies. They want to ensure that you’re proactive in staying informed and applying the most relevant and effective practices to your work, ultimately benefiting the company’s products and services.

Example: “To stay current on industry trends and best practices in UX research, I actively engage with the professional community and make use of various resources. First, I attend conferences and workshops to learn from experts and network with fellow researchers. This allows me to gain insights into emerging methodologies and tools while also sharing my own experiences.

Furthermore, I subscribe to reputable UX research blogs, newsletters, and podcasts to keep up-to-date with the latest developments and case studies. Reading articles and listening to discussions by thought leaders helps me understand how others are tackling challenges and applying new techniques in their work.

Another essential aspect is participating in online forums and social media groups dedicated to UX research. These platforms provide opportunities for peer learning, exchanging ideas, and staying informed about recent advancements. Through continuous learning and active engagement with the UX research community, I ensure that my knowledge remains relevant and that I can contribute effectively to projects using the most current best practices.”

12. Have you ever conducted remote user research? If so, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Remote user research is becoming increasingly important in today’s digital landscape. Interviewers want to know if you have experience navigating the unique challenges of conducting remote research, such as dealing with technology hiccups, establishing rapport with participants, and ensuring the accuracy of data collection. Demonstrating your ability to adapt, problem-solve, and maintain the quality of your research in these situations is essential to proving your expertise as a user experience researcher.

Example: “Yes, I have conducted remote user research on several occasions, particularly during the recent shift to remote work due to the pandemic. One of the main challenges I faced was ensuring effective communication and engagement with participants. To overcome this, I made sure to use clear instructions and visual aids when necessary, as well as providing ample opportunities for participants to ask questions or seek clarification.

Another challenge was dealing with technical issues that could arise during remote sessions, such as poor internet connections or software glitches. To mitigate these issues, I always conducted a thorough test run before each session to identify any potential problems and ensure all tools were functioning properly. Additionally, I prepared backup plans in case of unexpected disruptions, like having alternative contact methods or rescheduling options available.

These strategies helped me maintain the quality and effectiveness of my remote user research while adapting to the unique challenges presented by virtual environments.”

13. Describe a situation where you had to present complex research findings to a non-technical audience. How did you ensure they understood the key insights?

As a user experience researcher, the ability to effectively communicate your findings is essential. Interviewers ask this question to understand your skill in breaking down complex information and presenting it in a digestible way. They want to be sure that you can help non-technical team members or stakeholders grasp the significance of your research, enabling them to make informed decisions that improve the user experience.

Example: “During a previous project, I conducted research on user behavior within an e-commerce platform. The goal was to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement in the customer journey. My audience for presenting these findings included stakeholders from marketing, sales, and product management teams who were not well-versed in technical jargon.

To ensure they understood the key insights, I first focused on simplifying the complex data by using clear language and avoiding technical terms. I then visualized the information through easy-to-understand charts, graphs, and infographics that highlighted trends and patterns without overwhelming them with raw numbers.

I also structured my presentation around specific use cases and personas, which helped the audience relate to the users’ experiences more easily. This approach allowed me to convey the main takeaways effectively while keeping the non-technical audience engaged and informed throughout the presentation. As a result, we were able to collaboratively develop actionable strategies based on the research findings to enhance the overall user experience of the platform.”

14. Can you discuss your experience working with cross-functional teams, such as designers, developers, and product managers?

Collaboration is critical in the realm of user experience (UX) research, as it involves working closely with various team members to create the best possible product or service. Interviewers want to ensure that you can effectively communicate with and understand the needs of different departments, while keeping everyone on the same page. Demonstrating your ability to work in a cross-functional team environment also shows your adaptability and willingness to learn from others, which are essential skills for a UX researcher.

Example: “Throughout my career as a User Experience Researcher, I have had the opportunity to work closely with cross-functional teams on various projects. My experience has taught me that effective communication and collaboration are key to ensuring successful outcomes.

For instance, during a recent project aimed at redesigning our company’s mobile app, I worked alongside designers, developers, and product managers. As the UX researcher, I was responsible for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability tests to gather insights into user needs and pain points. I then shared these findings with the design team, who used them to create wireframes and prototypes. Throughout this process, we held regular meetings to discuss progress, address any concerns, and ensure alignment between all stakeholders.

Similarly, I collaborated with the development team to ensure they understood the rationale behind specific design decisions and how those choices would impact the overall user experience. This open line of communication allowed us to identify potential technical constraints early in the process and find solutions together. Finally, working with product managers helped prioritize features based on user feedback and business goals, resulting in a more focused and impactful end product.”

15. How do you measure the success of your research efforts?

Understanding how you measure success in your research efforts is essential because it demonstrates your ability to define clear objectives and evaluate the impact of your work. It shows that you can not only collect data but also analyze it to drive meaningful insights and improvements in the user experience. This ability to measure success is vital in making informed decisions and ensuring that your research contributes to the overall goals of your organization.

Example: “Measuring the success of my research efforts involves a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics. Quantitatively, I track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as task completion rates, time on task, error rates, and user satisfaction scores. These metrics provide valuable insights into how well users are interacting with the product or feature being tested.

Qualitatively, I analyze user feedback gathered through interviews, surveys, and usability testing sessions to identify patterns and trends in their experiences. This helps me understand the underlying reasons behind the quantitative data and provides context for any issues that may arise.

The ultimate measure of success, however, is the impact of my research findings on the product’s design and development. If my recommendations lead to improvements in user experience, increased user satisfaction, and ultimately contribute to achieving the overall business goals, then I consider my research efforts successful.”

16. What ethical considerations do you take into account when conducting user research?

Ethics play a pivotal role in user research, as they ensure that researchers treat participants fairly and responsibly, and protect their privacy. Interviewers want to know if you are aware of these ethical guidelines and how you incorporate them into your research process. Your ability to address ethical concerns demonstrates not only your commitment to responsible research practices but also your ability to build trust with users and maintain your organization’s reputation.

Example: “When conducting user research, I prioritize ethical considerations to ensure the well-being of participants and maintain the integrity of the study. Firstly, I obtain informed consent from all participants by clearly explaining the purpose of the research, what their involvement entails, and any potential risks or benefits associated with participation. This allows them to make an educated decision about whether they want to participate.

Another key ethical consideration is maintaining participant confidentiality. I anonymize data collected during the research process and store it securely to protect participants’ privacy. Additionally, I am mindful of power dynamics that may arise between the researcher and participants, striving to create a comfortable environment where participants feel respected and valued for their input.

Furthermore, I adhere to the principle of beneficence, ensuring that my research does not cause harm to participants and that the insights gained contribute positively to the development of products or services. This involves carefully designing research methods to minimize discomfort or distress while maximizing the value of the findings for both the organization and end-users.”

17. How do you balance qualitative and quantitative data in your research process?

In the world of user experience research, striking the right balance between qualitative and quantitative data is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and preferences. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your ability to integrate both types of data, ensuring that your research provides valuable insights and actionable recommendations that will help improve the product or service.

Example: “Balancing qualitative and quantitative data in the research process is essential for gaining a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and preferences. I typically start with qualitative methods, such as interviews or observations, to gather insights into users’ motivations, pain points, and overall experiences. This helps me identify patterns and trends that can inform my hypotheses.

Once I have these initial insights, I incorporate quantitative methods like surveys or analytics data to validate and quantify those findings. Quantitative data provides statistical evidence and allows me to measure the impact of specific design decisions on user satisfaction and engagement. Combining both types of data ensures that I’m not only addressing users’ subjective needs but also making data-driven decisions that contribute to the product’s success.”

18. Describe a time when your research findings contradicted your initial assumptions or hypotheses. How did you handle this situation?

This question is aimed at understanding your ability to adapt and reevaluate your work. As a user experience researcher, it’s essential to remain open-minded and unbiased when gathering insights. Interviewers want to know if you can let go of preconceived ideas and embrace new findings, even if they contradict your initial thoughts. Your response will showcase your commitment to accurate and objective research and your capacity to learn from unexpected outcomes.

Example: “During a project focused on improving the user experience of an e-commerce website, my initial hypothesis was that simplifying the navigation menu would lead to increased user satisfaction and higher conversion rates. However, after conducting usability tests with participants from our target audience, I discovered that users were actually more concerned about the clarity of product information and the ease of finding specific items through search functionality.

Upon realizing that my initial assumptions were contradicted by the research findings, I took this as an opportunity to learn and adapt. I shared these insights with the design team and stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of addressing the actual pain points identified by users. We then shifted our focus towards enhancing the search functionality and refining product descriptions to better meet user needs.

This experience taught me the value of being open-minded and adaptable in UX research. It reinforced the importance of letting data guide decision-making rather than relying solely on personal assumptions or preconceived notions.”

19. Can you provide an example of a particularly challenging research project and explain how you approached it?

Unraveling the complexities of user behavior and preferences is at the heart of user experience research. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your problem-solving skills, creativity, and adaptability when facing challenges in research projects. They want to know how you tackle obstacles and whether you can develop innovative solutions to enhance the overall user experience. Your response will provide insights into your thought process, research methodologies, and ability to persevere through tough situations.

Example: “One particularly challenging research project I worked on involved redesigning a mobile app for an e-commerce platform. The challenge was that the client wanted to improve user engagement and conversion rates, but they had limited data on their users’ behavior and preferences.

To tackle this issue, I started by conducting a thorough analysis of the existing app’s usability issues through heuristic evaluation and analyzing any available analytics data. This helped me identify key areas where improvements could be made. Next, I designed and executed a mixed-methods research plan that included both qualitative and quantitative methods. I conducted in-depth interviews with current and potential users to understand their needs, motivations, and pain points when using similar apps. Additionally, I ran surveys to gather broader insights into user preferences and expectations.

Based on the findings from these research activities, I collaborated with the design team to create wireframes and prototypes that addressed the identified usability issues and incorporated user feedback. We then conducted iterative usability testing to refine the design further. Ultimately, our approach led to significant improvements in user engagement and conversion rates, demonstrating the value of a comprehensive and well-executed research process.”

20. How do you manage stakeholder expectations throughout the research process?

In any research-intensive role, managing stakeholder expectations is vital to ensure the project’s success and maintain productive working relationships. As a User Experience Researcher, your findings will directly influence product design and development. Interviewers want to hear about your ability to communicate with stakeholders, set realistic expectations, and adapt to changing requirements while still producing valuable insights that inform decision-making. This question is designed to assess your communication skills, adaptability, and ability to manage complex projects.

Example: “Managing stakeholder expectations throughout the research process is essential for ensuring a smooth project flow and achieving desired outcomes. I start by involving stakeholders early in the planning stage, discussing their goals and objectives, and setting clear expectations about the scope of the research. This helps align everyone’s understanding of what the research aims to achieve and how it will contribute to the overall project.

During the research process, I maintain open communication with stakeholders through regular updates on progress, findings, and any challenges encountered. This allows them to stay informed and provide input when necessary. If there are any deviations from the initial plan or unexpected findings, I promptly address these concerns and discuss potential adjustments to the research approach.

After completing the research, I present the results in a comprehensive yet digestible format, highlighting key insights and actionable recommendations. This ensures that stakeholders can easily understand the implications of the findings and make informed decisions based on the data. Throughout this entire process, my focus remains on maintaining transparency, fostering collaboration, and delivering valuable insights that support the project’s overall goals.”

21. What strategies do you use to ensure that your research findings are actionable and relevant to the project goals?

The goal of user experience research is to provide valuable insights that help teams make informed decisions when designing and improving products or services. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your ability to connect your research findings to the project’s objectives and ensure that your recommendations are both practical and impactful. This demonstrates your understanding of the importance of relevant, data-driven decision-making in user experience design.

Example: “To ensure that my research findings are actionable and relevant to the project goals, I start by aligning my research objectives with the overall project objectives. This involves collaborating closely with stakeholders, such as product managers and designers, to understand their needs and expectations from the research.

Once the objectives are clear, I choose appropriate research methods and carefully plan the study to gather meaningful insights. During data analysis, I focus on identifying patterns and trends that directly relate to the project goals, while also keeping an eye out for unexpected findings that could inform future improvements.

When presenting my findings, I prioritize recommendations based on their potential impact on the user experience and business outcomes. I use clear language, visuals, and real-life examples to make the insights easily understandable and relatable for the team. Additionally, I collaborate with stakeholders throughout the implementation process, providing guidance and support to ensure that the research insights translate into effective design solutions.”

22. Have you ever had to conduct research on a tight budget? If so, how did you maximize the value of your efforts?

Resourcefulness is a highly valued trait in user experience researchers, as it demonstrates your ability to adapt to different scenarios and constraints. By inquiring about your experience with limited budgets, interviewers want to assess your ability to prioritize research goals, make strategic decisions, and employ creative techniques to gather valuable insights while working within financial boundaries. This skill is particularly important in startups or smaller organizations where financial resources may be limited.

Example: “Yes, I have faced situations where the budget for research was limited. In such cases, I focus on maximizing the value of my efforts by employing cost-effective research methods and prioritizing key objectives.

One approach I’ve used is to conduct remote usability testing instead of in-person sessions. This not only saves costs associated with travel and facility rentals but also allows me to reach a wider range of participants. Additionally, I leverage online survey tools and social media platforms to gather user feedback at minimal expense.

Another strategy is to prioritize research goals based on their potential impact on the project. I collaborate closely with stakeholders to identify the most critical aspects that need investigation and allocate resources accordingly. This ensures that even with a tight budget, we can still obtain valuable insights that drive informed design decisions and contribute to overall business success.”

23. Describe your experience with user personas and journey mapping.

Diving into the intricacies of user personas and journey mapping is essential for a User Experience Researcher. These tools help to identify and understand the needs, motivations, and goals of the target users, which in turn guides the design of better products or services. By asking this question, interviewers aim to gauge your familiarity with these concepts, as well as the depth of your experience in developing and utilizing them for effective user-centered design outcomes.

Example: “During my time as a UX researcher, I have extensively used user personas and journey mapping to better understand our target audience and optimize their experience with our products. In one particular project, we were redesigning the onboarding process for a mobile app. We started by conducting user interviews and surveys to gather insights about our users’ demographics, goals, motivations, and pain points.

Using this data, we created detailed user personas representing different segments of our user base. These personas helped us empathize with our users and make informed design decisions tailored to their needs. Next, we developed journey maps for each persona, outlining their interactions with the app from initial discovery through long-term usage. This allowed us to identify areas where users encountered friction or confusion and prioritize improvements accordingly.

Throughout the project, these tools served as valuable reference points for the entire team, ensuring that our design choices remained focused on addressing real user needs and enhancing overall satisfaction with the app.”

24. How do you handle situations where participants in your research studies provide conflicting feedback or opinions?

In the world of user experience research, it’s not uncommon to encounter conflicting feedback or opinions from study participants. Interviewers want to know how you handle these situations, as it demonstrates your ability to remain unbiased, analyze the data effectively, and ultimately make informed decisions that contribute to a better user experience. Your approach to resolving these conflicts can speak volumes about your problem-solving abilities and your commitment to designing user-centered products and services.

Example: “When encountering conflicting feedback from research participants, I first remind myself that differing opinions are a natural part of the user experience research process. It’s essential to gather diverse perspectives to identify patterns and make informed decisions.

To address these situations, I start by analyzing the data thoroughly, looking for common themes or trends among the responses. This helps me understand if there is an underlying issue that might be causing the conflicting opinions. Next, I consider factors such as participant demographics, context, and usage scenarios, which may contribute to the differences in their experiences.

If necessary, I conduct follow-up interviews or additional research to gain deeper insights into the reasons behind the discrepancies. Ultimately, my goal is to synthesize all the information gathered and present it to the design team with clear recommendations based on the most significant findings. This approach ensures that we prioritize improvements that will have the broadest positive impact on our users while acknowledging the diversity of their needs and preferences.”

25. What is your approach to conducting competitive analysis and benchmarking in UX research?

Understanding your approach to competitive analysis and benchmarking is essential because it demonstrates how you identify industry standards, evaluate competing products, and gather insights to inform design decisions. This information helps your future employer assess your ability to stay up-to-date with market trends, understand user needs, and ultimately contribute to the development of a superior user experience.

Example: “When conducting competitive analysis and benchmarking in UX research, my approach involves a systematic process that starts with identifying key competitors and relevant industry benchmarks. I begin by researching the market landscape to understand which companies or products are direct competitors or have similar offerings. This helps me establish a list of comparable solutions for further analysis.

Once I’ve identified the competition, I evaluate their user experience by examining various aspects such as usability, design, functionality, and overall user satisfaction. To do this, I use a combination of methods including heuristic evaluations, expert reviews, and user testing when possible. Additionally, I gather data on customer reviews, ratings, and feedback from social media platforms and forums to gain insights into users’ perceptions of these competing products.

After collecting and analyzing the data, I synthesize my findings into actionable insights that can inform our product strategy and design decisions. This may include identifying areas where our product excels, opportunities for improvement, and potential differentiators that could set us apart from the competition. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that our product not only meets but exceeds industry standards and provides an exceptional user experience that aligns with our business objectives.”

26. Can you discuss any experience you have with accessibility and inclusive design in your research process?

In the realm of user experience, understanding accessibility and inclusive design is critical to creating products that cater to a diverse range of users. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your familiarity with these concepts and to determine whether you’re proactive in ensuring that the research process accounts for potential barriers, varied user needs, and perspectives. This helps to create more inclusive and user-friendly products, ultimately benefiting the company and the users it serves.

Example: “During my time at XYZ Company, I was involved in a project focused on redesigning our mobile app to make it more accessible and inclusive for all users. My role as a user experience researcher required me to incorporate accessibility considerations into every stage of the research process.

To begin with, I conducted an accessibility audit of the existing app, identifying areas where improvements could be made to better accommodate users with disabilities. This included evaluating color contrast, font sizes, button placements, and screen reader compatibility. After gathering this data, I collaborated with the design team to develop potential solutions that addressed these issues while maintaining overall usability.

Furthermore, I ensured that our user testing sessions included participants with diverse abilities, such as those with visual or hearing impairments, motor skill limitations, and cognitive differences. This allowed us to gather valuable feedback from a wide range of perspectives and refine our designs accordingly. Ultimately, by incorporating accessibility and inclusive design principles throughout the research process, we were able to create a more user-friendly app that catered to the needs of all our customers.”

27. How do you ensure that your research insights are effectively communicated to the rest of the team?

Clear communication is a key component of user experience research. Understanding how to present your findings in a way that resonates with diverse team members, from designers to developers to project managers, is essential. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your ability to not only gather valuable user insights but also to translate those insights into actionable recommendations, ensuring that the entire team can benefit from your research and ultimately create a better user experience.

Example: “To effectively communicate research insights to the rest of the team, I focus on presenting findings in a clear and concise manner. First, I tailor my presentation style to suit the audience’s preferences and level of familiarity with UX concepts. This may involve using visual aids like graphs, charts, or infographics to illustrate key points and make complex data more digestible.

Another important aspect is storytelling. I strive to create a narrative that connects the research findings to real-world user experiences, making it easier for the team to understand the implications of the insights. Additionally, I highlight actionable recommendations based on the research, ensuring that the team can see how these insights can be applied to improve the product or service.

To further facilitate understanding and collaboration, I encourage open discussions and invite feedback from the team members during presentations. This allows me to address any questions or concerns they might have and ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding the research outcomes and their impact on the project.”

28. Describe a time when you had to pivot your research focus based on new information or changing project requirements.

The world of user experience research is dynamic, and you may face unexpected twists and turns during a project. Interviewers ask this question to gauge your adaptability and flexibility in the face of change, as well as your ability to shift focus and modify your research plan accordingly while still providing valuable insights to stakeholders. It also highlights your problem-solving skills and willingness to collaborate with others to achieve the best possible outcome for the project.

Example: “I was working on a project to redesign the user interface of an e-commerce website. Initially, our research focus was on improving the navigation and product search functionality based on feedback from users who found it difficult to locate specific items. We conducted usability tests and gathered data to identify pain points and areas for improvement.

However, during the course of our research, we discovered that while navigation was indeed an issue, there was a more pressing problem: many users were abandoning their shopping carts due to a complex and time-consuming checkout process. Recognizing the potential impact on conversion rates and overall business goals, we decided to pivot our research focus towards streamlining the checkout experience.

We quickly adapted our research plan, conducting additional interviews and usability tests to understand the challenges users faced during the checkout process. Based on our findings, we proposed design changes that simplified the process and reduced the number of steps required to complete a purchase. Ultimately, this led to a significant decrease in cart abandonment rates and increased customer satisfaction.”

29. What role does collaboration play in your approach to UX research?

Collaboration is the heart of great UX research, and interviewers want to know that you value teamwork and understand the importance of working closely with cross-functional teams. UX researchers often collaborate with designers, developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to gather insights, align on objectives, and ensure the solutions being developed meet the needs of the users. Showcasing your ability to effectively collaborate will demonstrate that you can contribute positively to the team dynamic and work towards a shared vision within the company.

Example: “Collaboration is an essential aspect of my approach to UX research, as it helps ensure that the insights gathered are relevant and actionable for various stakeholders. Working closely with cross-functional teams such as designers, product managers, developers, and marketing professionals allows me to align our research objectives with their specific needs and goals.

During the research process, I involve team members in planning, data collection, analysis, and interpretation stages. This collaborative approach not only fosters a shared understanding of user needs but also encourages buy-in from all parties involved. Ultimately, this leads to more effective decision-making and better-designed products or services that meet both user expectations and business objectives.”

30. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for a successful user experience researcher?

The question aims to gauge your understanding of the key traits a user experience researcher should possess, as well as how you prioritize them. Since UX researchers are responsible for gathering and analyzing user feedback, interviewers want to ensure you appreciate the importance of empathy, strong communication skills, analytical thinking, and adaptability, among other qualities, to excel in this role and contribute to the development of user-centered products.

Example: “I believe that empathy and strong communication skills are two of the most important qualities for a successful user experience researcher. Empathy allows researchers to genuinely understand users’ needs, emotions, and pain points, which is essential in creating meaningful and effective solutions. It helps us put ourselves in the users’ shoes and approach problems from their perspective.

Strong communication skills, on the other hand, enable researchers to effectively convey insights and findings to various stakeholders, such as designers, developers, and product managers. This ensures that everyone involved in the project has a clear understanding of the users’ needs and can make informed decisions based on the research data. Additionally, good communication skills help UX researchers facilitate interviews, focus groups, and usability tests, allowing them to gather valuable information while making participants feel comfortable and engaged.”

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Common UX Research Interview Questions

Have you received an interview invitation for the role of UX researcher at your desired organization? If yes, congratulations on this accomplishment! 

So, do you have a portfolio? Furthermore, are you prepared to respond effectively to the UX research interview questions ? If you're wondering how to prepare for a UX research job interview , we're here to help! 

Answering interview questions goes beyond the standard queries that most interviewees are expected to know. It requires a deep understanding of the field and a mastery of research methodologies and techniques . Let's remember that demonstrating strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills is equally important.

To stand out and make a lasting impression, it's essential to be well-prepared. Focus on articulating your unique perspective and approach to the challenges of UX research.

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(Find out why user research forms the backbone of the design process .)

We will help you understand how to prepare for a UX researcher job interview and ace all UX researcher interview questions . It covers all questions you may have to answer in a UX researcher job interview. 

UX Research Background Questions

Did you know the "tell me about yourself" category of UX research interview questions are the ice-breakers? 

They have their own importance in an interview. But the questions you will likely face are related to your overall background as a UX researcher.

It will not make a difference if you are starting as a UX researcher or a seasoned one. Answering these questions gives the hiring manager the exact insight to decide whether you can be a good fit for the role. Here are some UX research questions you can expect related to your background:

What motivated you to pursue a career in UX research?

How do you approach a new research project?

What is your biggest strength as a UX researcher?

How do you keep up with industry trends and advancements?

Can you describe a time when you had to handle a problematic stakeholder and how you approached the situation?

How do you handle a situation where the stakeholders have been skeptical about the project research?

What would you consider as your most significant strengths being a UX researcher?

How did you learn about UX research, and what drives you to continue pursuing this career path?

Top Tips to Answer These Background Questions Confidently

Understanding your background is essential for the interviewer to frame the next set of questions. While answering your questions, make sure you follow these tips:

The age-old idiom “Honesty is the best policy” will work in your favor. There are no right or wrong answers here. So, take deep breaths , relax, and share your genuine experience freely.

It’s best not to talk about negative experiences. Even if you had a negative experience, only mention it if it adds value to your answer. If you’re asked to address a negative experience, focus on the positive steps you took to remedy the situation.

Don’t memorize your answers in anticipation. Your experience is personal and unique—express it!

UX Research Decision-Driven Process Questions

As a UX researcher, any company will expect you to deal with complex situations. You need to be able to make sound decisions based on the data gathered during research. 

The ability to make the right decision can mean the difference between a successful project and a failed one. Your skills can shine more with your critical thinking, strong problem-solving abilities, and the ability to prioritize tasks. 

In this video, CEO of Experience Dynamics Frank Spillers explains how he used a diary study to research the behavior of Apple Watch users:

Understanding the users' needs and expectations will help you make informed decisions that will benefit the end user. Good decision-making skills also allow you to navigate complex projects confidently and efficiently. It helps you to anticipate potential challenges and take proactive measures to overcome them. 

Here are some decision-driven UX research interview questions you can expect:

Can you explain how you prioritize research projects based on business needs?

How do you understand the user pain points and balance user needs with business goals during a research project?

Can you describe a time when you had to make a recommendation based on conflicting research insights?

How do you determine the appropriate sample size for a research project?

How do you ensure that research insights are integrated into the product roadmap? 

Top Tips to Confidently Answer These Decision-Driven Questions

As a UX researcher, you should make informed decisions as they can make or break the project. Consider the following tips to ace these questions:

The decision-driven process involves making informed decisions that lead to positive outcomes. While answering, please focus on the results and how your research helped achieve them. This will demonstrate your ability to connect research to business goals.

Before answering decision-driven process questions, it's crucial to have a solid understanding of the decision-making process. This will help you identify the relevant factors you must consider and how they relate to the research question.

As these are open-ended questions , you can elaborate on your answers. When answering research questions, use data to support your answers whenever possible. This will demonstrate your ability to analyze and interpret data, as well as your capacity to use data to inform decision-making.

Learn the importance of user research in our post by Ditte Hvas Mortensen – User Research: What It Is and Why You Should Do It .

UX Research Technical Knowledge Questions

As a UX researcher, it's essential to polish your technical knowledge. When preparing for a UX research technical interview , having a solid understanding of technical concepts is helpful. It will allow for more confident and articulate responses. 

For instance, knowledge of relevant software can help you explain how you would approach designing a user interface or conducting usability tests. Additionally, understanding technical jargon and practices can assist in communicating effectively with developers and engineers.

UX Research Methods and Techniques

© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0

Follow this simple rule: "Stick to what you know best." Here's a list of technical knowledge UX research questions that you can expect in the interview:

What research methods do you typically use? 

Can you walk through your process for conducting a usability test ?

How do you analyze and interpret qualitative data?

How do you ensure your research is unbiased?

Can you explain the difference between behavioral and attitudinal research?

Which tools do you use?

Top Tips to Answer These Technical Knowledge Questions Confidently

Interviewers expect you to have sound technical knowledge. If you don't, revise the basics . Make sure you follow these tips to ace your UX research technical interview :

Focus on the specific technical skills required for the position and be prepared to demonstrate your proficiency in those areas.

Give specific examples of how you have applied your technical skills in past projects or work experiences. This will show the interviewer that you have practical experience and can use your skills in a real-world setting.

Use clear and concise language to explain technical concepts. Avoid using jargon or complex language that may confuse the interviewer.

Highlight the areas you are eager to learn about. Be honest about your technical skills and limitations. It's best not to exaggerate your abilities or pretend to have knowledge you don't have.

UX Research Adaptability Questions

Your portfolio is a valuable asset during the interview process. It serves as a visual representation of your capabilities and showcases the projects and methodologies you have used in the past. It helps the interviewer to understand how quickly you can adapt to constant changes during a project's duration.

Join Steven Gay, UX Lead for Google One, as he shares the power of a portfolio in capturing your design journey and collaboration .

In addition, it can help you to stay organized and focused during an interview. You can easily trace back to your experience when answering complex questions by presenting relevant examples from your previous work.

Sharing real-life examples demonstrating how you have applied your skills and expertise to adapt to challenging situations in specific projects is valuable. This approach makes it easier to address complex questions and showcase your qualifications effectively.

Here are some interview questions for UX researchers related to adaptability:

Can you describe a research project you are particularly proud of and why?

How did you adapt to a situation where the research insights must be aligned with stakeholder expectations?

How do you ensure that research results are actionable and impact the product design ?

Can you describe a time when you had to pivot research strategies mid-project and how you approached the situation?

How have you incorporated user feedback into the product design process?

What is your best experience with any client during the project?

Can you describe your usual process for gathering information before starting any project?

Have you worked on any project that has contributed to a breakthrough for the business?

Top Tips to Answer These Adaptability Questions Confidently

UX research is a rapidly evolving sector. You have to adapt quickly. While answering the UX research interview questions , include these tips to display your adaptability effectively:

Be specific about the research methods you have used, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes you achieved. This will help the interviewer understand your thought process and research approach.

Emphasize the results of your research rather than the research process . Give examples of how your decision-making and adaptability have improved a product or increased user satisfaction.

If you need to gain experience in a particular area, be honest about it. Avoid pretense during the interview. Instead, focus on your skills and how you can apply them to the job.

Finally, show your passion for UX research. Talk about why you love this field and how you can contribute to the company's mission. This will help the interviewer see that you are interested in more than landing a job and want to make a career in UX research .

UX Research Teamwork and Collaboration Questions

Teamwork and collaboration are essential to ensure efficient processes, to see problems from different perspectives, and to get real-time feedback. You'll work closely with other product development , design, and management team members. Here, the goal is to understand the users’ needs to develop effective solutions. 

Effective collaboration requires strong communication skills. That means active listening, clear articulation, and the ability to provide constructive feedback. You must be able to conduct user interviews confidently and understand user behavior . Moreover, communicate research findings, insights, and the research plan to team members concisely and in an actionable way.

Learn how team research helps organizations move faster with Laura Klein.

Here are some questions you can expect in the interview related to teamwork and collaboration:

How do you ensure effective communication with team members during a project?

How do you handle disagreements with team members or stakeholders during a project?

Can you describe a time when you had to work with individuals from different departments or teams?

How do you ensure team members are aligned on the research goals and objectives?

Can you describe a time when you had to manage conflicting priorities on a project?

How would you resolve any miscommunication between two stakeholders associated with a project you are leading?

How would you motivate your team members if they are facing a problem?

Can you describe ways of tailoring the project based on different requirements?

Top Tips to Confidently Answer These Collaboration Questions

Collaboration questions aim to gauge your responsibility, ownership, and leadership skills. The interviewer needs to know that you are a team player, how well you apply feedback and also how well you communicate with others. 

Highlight your skills by using the following tips:

Show how you can work with others to solve complex problems creatively. Explain how you have tackled challenging research projects in collaboration with team members to find solutions that work for everyone.

The interviewer would want to see that you are enthusiastic about working with others and are committed to creating a positive team environment. Show that your team can rely on you to work effectively towards a common goal.

Use examples of how you have effectively communicated complex research insights to non-technical and technical stakeholders. Show that you are a good communicator, One who can ensure that everyone on the team understands the research findings.

Emphasize your ability to collaborate with people and research participants with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Give examples of projects where you could work effectively in cross-functional teams and how you overcame any challenges.

UX Research Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

That time of the interview when your interviewer asks, “Any questions for me?” is your final chance to stand out. Most importantly, it's your opportunity to figure out whether the position suits your personality, interests, and qualifications. 

Here are some questions to catch your interviewer off-guard (in a good way).

What is the usual approach for your company for a user-centered design , and how does UX research fit into that process?

What software or tools does your organization use for research, design, collaboration, prototyping, etc.?

How does the company ensure that UX research insights are being effectively implemented?

What are the qualities and attributes that can make for a successful UX researcher in the company?

The ice-breaker UX research interview questions still hold their importance. They are basic in nature but helpful in creating that first impression on your interviewer. If you have your technical expertise in place, give equal importance to soft skills as well. 

Key Steps to Prepare for a UX Research Job Interview

Moreover, it's good practice to ask your interviewer questions. Try to keep a few questions ready on your end. They can be about the organization, the role, or anything important to you before you decide to join the organization. 

Lastly, it's equally important to highlight your ability to collaborate effectively with team members and stakeholders. But if you need a little extra boost to complete your journey as a UX researcher confidently, take courses offered by the IxDF. 

The Interaction Design Foundation offers a range of UX courses that will take your career to the next level. Enroll in one of our UX courses today and unleash your UX superpowers!

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How to Create the Best User Research Questions

Even the most advanced product designers can’t always find a clear path to building products that people love. It can be difficult to understand target audiences, what they want, and how they think. Carl Jung once said, “To ask the right question is already half the solution to the problem.”

When it comes to understanding people, this couldn’t be more true. Direct conversations with users is critical for responsive, agile product development . It’s one of the best ways to uncover people’s unmet needs and create what they want. However, it can be challenging to come up with the right user research questions.

In this article, we’ll explain the steps in creating effective questions to gain authentic responses from users. We’ll then take you through how to structure user conversations and give some examples of key questions to ask users through the qualitative research process.

What are user interview questions?

User interview questions help guide a user into telling their story by explaining their experiences. Researchers leverage user interview questions to understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of users’ interactions with and understandings of a product, feature, app or other offering.

User interview questions therefore give context and color to people’s experiences. They can be used to help product teams define a roadmap and prioritize product features and capabilities, align stakeholders on a vision for the product, identify friction points and translate them into product solutions, monitor the market for competitive analyses, and more.

How can you create good user research questions?

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to coming up with effective user research questions, there are some foundational elements that should be considered in any research process:

• Avoid leading and/or biased questions. For example, “What did you like the most about this product?” can imply a motivation behind the study (i.e. presenting insights that assume all participants like the product). As a result, the respondent may lose trust in the interviewer and give responses that are inauthentic or inaccurate.
• Focus on experiences and behaviors, rather than participant preferences. For example, “Why did you buy that product?” is a basic question and a staple of market research surveys. However, the reality is that most people operate on auto-pilot when they make a purchase. According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman , 95% of purchase decision-making is subconscious or autonomic.
• Stick with direct, simple questions. Seasoned moderators can act like commuters driving home from work — they’ll know where they’re going, feeling a level of comfortability that tempts them to multi-task, or make turns too quickly for a passenger to enjoy. For example, “What drew you to download this app and what are your favorite features?” could cause the respondent to conflate the two questions, or feel overwhelmed with where to start.

Examples of user research projects

Before jumping into some example user research questions, it’s important to identify key objectives in holding user conversations. First, identify which of the three basic types of user research projects you are conducting: exploratory, generative, or evaluative.

• Exploratory : The goal of exploratory research is to develop an empathetic knowledge base of the end user, particularly when product teams are unclear who their target audiences are. This type of research is conducted at the earlier stages of the design process: planning, scoping, and definition phases.
• Generative : Typically informed by exploratory research, the goal of generative research is to capture context-rich information and further develop empathy by providing space for users to express their feelings, needs and desires. Generative methods of research often include co-designing activities such as diagramming, drawing, cognitive mapping and other exercises to guide the generation of design concepts and early prototyping. (To learn more about co-designing, watch our webinar with Forrester, “Rethinking the Agile Manifesto.”)
• Evaluative : Evaluative research involves the testing of prototypes, products or features by prospective users of a project in development. The goal of evaluative research is to measure people’s expectations against the end product in order to gauge whether it is desirable, useful, and usable. Evaluative research is ideally interactive and iterative to support agile product development. Evaluation methods, when conducted as part of exploratory or generative research, should primarily be used to verify how effectively users’ needs have been addressed.

Exploratory and generative research are typically more comprehensive and time-consuming, as they are conducted when product teams are still in the process of identifying and understanding their target audiences.

To give a clearer picture of what later-stage evaluative research looks like, here are three examples:

• First time user study : Teams observe users’ first time sign-up experience and interaction with a product, feature or app. Researchers can explore any friction in first time users’ onboarding experience – that is, the introduction to the product, app or feature to a user. This may involve requiring the user to complete tasks, such as setting up an account or preferences.
• User intent study : Teams can understand the goal of their users with this type of study – what they are hoping to achieve by using a product, feature or app – and why they are choosing one over another. Researchers uncover key features that stick with users in order to differentiate their offerings. User intent studies are ideal for very large products with many different types of features, or if there are a lot of competitors with the same offerings.
• Dormant user study : Teams conduct this type of study to understand attrition by engaging with a group of users that adopted their product but then decided to leave. To understand why this group of users were both drawn to, and decided to stop using, a product, feature, or app, researchers explore questions of product value, user expectations, and usability. This type of study is ideal for organizations with subscription-based offerings, where attrition can be common.

Examples of user research questions

• How do you typically decide whether or not to download an app?
• What is the ideal feature/features you think should be included in this product?
• What led you to seek out products like this one in the past?
• Can you describe how you would typically undertake this task with the help of an app?
• Let’s pretend I am new to this feature, can you walk me through how it works and why it’s helpful?
• Can you share your screen with me and show me how you complete this task using this product?
• What were your impressions of this app after you used it for the first time?
• How would your colleague respond if you told her about this feature?
• How do you think this product lined up with your expectations?

A standard user research question flow

Typical User Research Question flow includes five different question types: ice breaker, introduction, key, summary, wrap-up.

What effective user research looks like

Effective user research interviews are the starting point for understanding people, their experiences, and their voice as it relates to improving user experience (UX). The most powerful insights generated from effective user conversations are marked by how actionable they are for organizations, who can then produce products that make people’s lives easier.

To learn more about how to leverage user research for product design and development, read our guide : “Build What People Will Buy: How Qualitative Research Improves Technology Product Development.”

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A Cheatsheet for User Interview and Follow Ups Questions

When I prepare user interviews (or usability tests), I end up coming back to the same resources again. I decided to put them all in one single place. If you follow this blog, you know it’s also kind of my “ public bookmarks of resources” and “memos”.  I put together this cheat sheet to help you write interviews and follow up questions for user interview guides and usability test protocols . Those are fragments of questions that should help you get started writing your own questions. I organized them in different categories depending on what type of question I want to ask. This will help you save times with your own questions. You can also check all my a user interview resources . get them as .PDF if you need to print them or want to use those offline.-->

Note that I will not guide you through a whole interview process in this memo. But you will find some resources at the end of the article to dig further.

** last update: March 2023 **

User Interview Questions

User Interview by Christina

Here is a list of helpers I use when I build my user interview questions . I usually prefer to conduct semi structured interviews . It means that I write a guide with the main questions and topics I want to ask about. But I might not totally follow this guide and dig into topics that users will bring up while talking to them. This makes it feel more like a conversation than guided interviews do. Even if I record/have a note taker, I like to take my own notes during the interview. This let’s me ask follow up questions on what the user said later. I also usually ask a few questions during usability tests, so here again, those questions are handy.

Those questions are for the core of the interview outside of your screener, demographic questions.

1. Open discovery questions

To keep the conversation going I want to ask open questions. Those questions are questions that require more than a single word answer (like yes/no). Avoid starting questions by “did you” / “have you” / “were you” and replace them by “why”, “how”, etc.

• “ Tell me about …”
• “ Why do you …”?
• “ What is / are …?”
• “ What … do you use / do ?”
• “ Describe to me how you… / your experience with…?”
• “ How often do you…?” (to ask about frequency and quantity)
• “ How much/many …” (can also be used to probe level of knowledge like “how much do you know about this topic?”)

2. Understanding user tasks / activities

Here are a few starter questions that help me understand how people perform tasks and activities. Most of the time I work on digital product, but those can apply to any type of task or activity.

• “ How do you [task]…?” (direct)
• “ Describe how you would [task]?” (indirect)
• “ What are all the things you need to do and know in order to [task]?”
• Sequence: “ Walk me through the steps, how do you [task]?”
• Comparison: “ What is the difference between [task 1] and [other task]?”

3. Performing / showing

User interviews don’t have to be limited to questions you can also ask people to perform tasks.

• “ Show me how you  [task]“ ask them to perform the task, share their screen, etc.
• Role playing: “ Let’s pretend I’m a colleague who knows nothing about [task]. Guide me so that I could do it myself afterwards” (a friend of mine likes to use “explain to me like I’m a five years old”, I like the idea but it might not be good in some situations ^^)

4. Talking about problems and pain points

Part of my job is to understand issues and pain points in order to try to solve them. Here are some questions that help.

• “How does this problem impact you ?”
• ” How did you solve / get around that issue?”
• “What’s the hardest / most frustrating part about …?”
• “If you had a magic wand, what would you change ?”

5. Opinions / points of view / attitude and projections

Those questions usually help me ask about opinions. Still you need to bear in mind that opinion questions are highly susceptible to some biases. For example: like courtesy bias is “the tendency to give an opinion that is more socially correct than one’s true opinion, so as to avoid offending anyone”.

• “ What do you think about …?”
• “ What do you like/dislike about…?”
• “What would your friend/partner/colleague think of that ?
• “Some people …, other …, what is your opinion on that ?”
• Variant: “Last week I interviewed people who did // said … What do you think of that idea // how do you feel about this approach?

Note: if you want to learn more (and raise awareness within your team) about cognitive biases , Laurence and I created a set of “ 52 UX Cards to Discover Cognitive Biases ”. You can download the cards for free and print them. There’s a special category called “Interview & user testing” where we select some of the biases that might influence users during your research.

6. Recalling the past / anticipating the future

You can ask people about events in the past. Be careful though: any event prior to a few days in the past might be distorted . People are Lazy, Forgetful Creatures of Habit . Also note that people have a hard time projecting in the future so, again, treat the replies to those kinds of questions accordingly. More on that in Rikka’s article about why collective past behavior in interviews works better .

• “Please recall a situation when you …, what did you do ?”
• “ Tell me about your most significant/ memorable experience/interaction with…?”
• “How do you think … is going to help you?”
• “Describe to me the ideal product / experience…?”

7. Sentence completion and drawing

Last but not least I sometimes ask people to complete a sentence . I also ask them to draw something like a process, how they recall the interface, etc. Some people are more visual thinkers than others so it can really help. How many times did you end up in a conversation where someone just said “wait let me show you” and started drawing a chart to explain to you? 🙂

Neurodivergence cultural differences with polite “could you” questions and the difficulty of predicting one’s own future.

I had interesting discussions on how some of those open ended questions might be hard to answer for some neurodivergent users , including autistic people. I honestly need to dig further in that topic. I had discussions on twitter on how a polite “could/can you show me” question might be answered by “yes I can” by some people who might not get that the “could/can” is mostly politeness.

Elizabeth Kirt added some interesting information in her LinkedIn comment that I will paraphrase here:

“I would have a hard time with a lot of these on the spot. A ny kind of open ended question can be really difficult. Hypothetical , especially ones not based on reality, are going to cause some of us to struggle. It would be easier to show rather than discuss out loud. And I have no idea how to anticipate the future . Asking me what someone else think about could be skipped”.

I like her advice on how to mitigate that :

“If you see a candidate struggle then try to switch to more fact based and practice experience based questions . Or allow them to actually demonstrate.”

This goes into the same direction as Erika Hall’s article on surveys where she warns us about how difficult it might be to recall the past and predict future for users:

“If you ask about something that happened too far back in time, you are going to get a low quality answer. And especially, never ask people to make a prediction of their own future behavior. They will make that prediction based on wishful thinking or social desirability”

Participants answering “yes” I can to a polite “could you show me” question might also happen due to cultural differences or language barriers . I’m French, we use a lot the “please could you do X” to be polite, because “do X” is too directive. But, it’s not the case for all languages. So, if English isn’t the participant’s native language, they might not grasp the nuance of the question.

Bottom line: be careful with category 4 and 5 and over politeness when asking questions, especially if you know your target audience might be neurodivergent, on the spectrum, or if English isn’t their native language. Knowing your audience is key when interviewing users. I always advise juniors and mentees to adapt to their audience. After all, an interview script is just a guide, you don’t need to follow it word for word. The goal is to have a solid base, and adapt if needed. Don’t also hesitate to follow-up and rephrase the question if needed, while still putting the participant at ease.

Follow Up Questions

User Interview by UX Indonesia

For the rest of this part, [ xxx ] will be “something the person said”.

Follow-up questions are asked in the middle of the interview to dig further in a topic the person just mentioned. But they can also be asked at the end to come back to a specific topic. Especially if you didn’t want to interrupt the thoughts of the person you are interviewing.

As mentioned before, follow-up questions are the reason I take notes during an interview even if I have someone else taking notes and a recording. I write down verbatim (user quotes) that peaked my interest and that I want to come back to later.

1. Bouncing back

Those follow-ups help me bounce back on what people said and sometimes let met ask for clarification

• “You mentioned [ xxx ], ( can you) tell me more about it?”
• “That’s interesting. Could you elaborate on that / give me an example? ”
• “ What do you mean by [ xxx ]?”

2. Digging further

The beauty of interviews is that you sometimes get nice surprises when people bring up topics you didn’t think about. Those sentences let me come back and dig a little bit further in those topics.

• “ Why ”, yes, the all powerful why, as simple as that.
• “ How come? ” also works
• “You mentioned [ xxx ], what’s the reason for that? ”

3. Asking for clarification

Sometimes I ask for clarification to get more information on a topic. But sometimes I also need more information to understand the context. Especially when the interview is about a complex business process I don’t fully master.

• What did you mean by [ xxx ] ?

4. Rephrasing / interpreting / mirroring

Those sentences help me check if I understood correctly . They also let me give a gentle nudge to again, dig a little bit further a specific topic I am interested in:

• “Sooooo, you are saying that [ xxx ] ?” + wait
• “It sounds like you are saying [ xxx ], is that correct / did I understand correctly?”
• Mirroring: repeat part of the sentence with a question mark. For example: “I had problems using that part, I didn’t understand what the button did, it was quite frustrating for me ” would become “ hum, frustrating? ” (you need to convey the question mark when you talk). Usually this helps dig further into a feeling.

5. Recalling past experience

In the interview questions I sometimes ask directly to recall past events. But this method can also be used as a follow-up question.

• “Please give me / think of an example of [ xxx ]?”
• “ Show me how you did [ xxx ]?” (if you can ask them to show them their screen and do the task for example)

6. One Last Thing?

After I thank the person, I usually finish the interview with an open question. This the user talks about a topic I might not have thought about when preparing the guide.

• “Is there anything you would like to add ?”
• “ Would you like to talk about a specific topic before we finish?”
• “Any questions you would like to ask me about the project?”

Most of the people will say no. So I wait. Then they think a little bit and actually have things to add. So here again, don’t underestimate the power of silence, don’t turn the recorder off. A lot of people will give you interesting feedback once the interview is “finished” . They are more relaxed and might speak more freely. Especially at the end of the interview. Wait… a little bit. Usually the “no” turns into a “actually” + interesting conversation about a point you didn’t cover in your interview.

7. The Power of Silence

Silence is powerful. An interview is about actively listening. The person you interview might sometimes need time to collect their thoughts. Wait for the person to complete or continue. It might feel awkward but it’s powerful. Most people will say no. Wait… a little bit. Usually the “no” turns into a “actually” + interesting conversation about a point you didn’t cover in your interview. If you struggle with this, my fun advice: count in your head, the same way you count when lightening strikes: 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippis… up to 5 Mississippis. Eventually, you will get more comfortable with silence.

Get my cheatsheet in .PDF format

Get the Cheatsheet in .PDF

User Interview Workshop

Next year, I will launch a workshop to help people get better at user interview. The workshop will be online and use my brand new “user interview” cards and build upon this content.

We will have some hands on practical exercises to help you:

• build a user interview guide
• get comfortable with interviewing people and asking follow-up questions
• take notes (in case you are the note taker of the interview for a colleague)

You can register your interest here (this list will only be used for that, you won’t get  the newsletter or anything else)

Let me know when the workshop is ready!

Going further: books and references

From the real Experts, by Rita Morais

If you want to read further, here are a few books and resources that should help you.

You can start by checking my list of Selected Books on Design, User eXperience, Mobile, Accessibility & more where you can find

• “ Just Enough Research – Erika Hall” she has a whole chapter on interviews and great advice
• If you speak French, Méthodes de design UX (2ed 2018) – Dr Carine Lallemand”

There a few online guide with lists of questions that can also help you

• Sarah Doody’s “ Free Guide: 35 User Research Interview Questions ” (PDF)
• The “ Starter questions for User research interviews (PDF direct download) ” from harvard ux group
• Also the “ Some Strategies for Developing Interview Guides (PDF direct download)” also from harvard ux group

Articles and online resources:

• 12 Ways To Improve User Interview Questions
• User Research Methods : usability.gov still has some of the best resources around interviews and testing
• Interviewing for research
• User Interviews: How, When, and Why to Conduct Them
• 16 tips for better user interviews
• A Guide to Interviewing Users
• User Interviews – a guide to user interview, by, user interviews
• How to ask questions like a UX Researcher
• The Optimizer’s Guide to Conducting User Interviews & Analyzing the Data
• How to write a generative interview guide and  17 Pro Tips to Perfect One-on-One Interviews by Nikki Anderson

Lists of questions:

• Maze has an interesting question bank
• User Interview Example Questions – Yale University

Okay, what do I do with all that data?

Last but not least, if you want to learn more about User Research, User Experience Design what to do with all the information you gathered during the interview, I brought a few resources together in the form of an article, some slides and a “UX Starter Kit and a User Research Starter Crash Course”

Read the UX Starter Crash Course Article

Other articles you might enjoy:

• My Expert Guide to User Interviews
• A User Research and UX Design Starter Kit
• User Experience – Starter Crash Course for Startups
• 80+ UX, psychology and product design blogs & people to follow
• An Introduction to User Journey Map + free User Journey Map Templates

Published on 9 June 2020

in Expert UX Templates & Resources

By Stéphanie Walter

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User research questions you should be asking.

User research is one of the most valuable tools for understanding customer behaviors, needs, motivations, preferences, wants, and interactions with your products and brand.

Through a handful of market research techniques like observation, task analysis, and eliciting direct customer feedback through interviews, brands can glean valuable insights that help fine-tune their user experience.

While there are several different methodologies for capturing user insights, this article will review how to talk to users directly to effectively capture the most productive and telling data.

This post will cover:

• How to create questions for your user interviews
• Basic question format
• User research question examples from Sarah Doody and the team at Fuel Cycle

If you’re looking to polish your user research interviewing techniques, read on.

Best practices for creating user research questions

Conducting an effective and thorough interview takes hard work and planning. Here’s the good news. When you know how to create your questions, you can rest assured your results will be beneficial.

Here’s a quick 5-step formula you can follow every time you need to create questions for UX research .

1. Start by defining broader themes

The first step is to identify what you want to learn from the interview. The best way to figure out what you want to know is to brainstorm themes of interest.

Since you will ultimately share your results with your market research, product, and marketing teams, it’s helpful to have a representative from each of these teams in the brainstorming session.

2. Break down your questions to make them answerable

Once you have identified possible and broad themes, it’s time to delve deeper. As you browse through your list of ideas, you’ll notice there are several differences between each one.

Break down each theme and identify questions that align with the overall goal of the research.

Write down any question that comes to mind, even if you don’t think it’s a good question.

3. Don’t ask questions that will influence the answer

The next step in the process is to take a closer look at your questions and throw out any questions that aren’t working.

It’s especially important to get rid of any questions that are biased or that influence the answer. Remember, you want to get raw and honest answers from your research participants, so don’t ask any leading questions.

For example, you may want to know how a customer felt when using a particular product or exploring an interface. A proper question would be, “how did you feel when adding items to your shopping cart?” An example of a leading question would be “how happy/anxious did you feel when adding items to your shopping cart?”

Good questions don’t make assumptions. They elicit honest answers.

4. Ask about specific examples

Sometimes it’s difficult for research participants to communicate how they feel about the usability of a product, service, or user interface.

Prepare a series of questions that will help you overcome this potential obstacle. Asking for participants to talk about a specific experience in the past that relates to your question will help them remember and provide more accurate answers to your questions.

5. Ask open-ended questions

When it comes to interviewing participants, it’s essential to remember that all customers’ opinions and experiences are valuable. But, not all customers are comfortable in an interview setting.

For some participants, you may ask a question. They will understand the general idea and offer a complete example. Other participants may be more comfortable with yes/no responses.

To avoid the yes/no responses, craft your questions so they are open-ended. Prepare a list of follow-up questions to open-ended answers that help guide less talkative respondents to open up more.

It doesn’t matter what you are trying to learn from your customers. If you follow this format when creating your questions, you’ll increase your chances of getting excellent customer feedback.

Basic question formats

A typical interview lasts between 30-60 minutes and consists of a series of different types of questions.

Here is an overview of the basic questions you should ask in your interviews as well as some on-point examples, many provided by research from Sarah Doody .

1. Customer introduction questions

You will probably already have the necessary demographic information on your participants, but that doesn’t mean you know everything you need to know about your customers. You’ll also want to ask questions that help you understand things you need to know that you didn’t get from the screening application.

Questions include:

• What does your typical weekday look like?
• When do you usually first use the (product/user interface in question) on a typical day?
• Tell me about your role at your company? In your family? Etc.
• How is this (product/user interface) relevant to your life daily?
• Tell me about (any hobbies that may relate to your questions).
• Any lifestyle questions that are related to your topic/product.

Asking customer introduction questions can help you further segment your customer responses and get a better idea of who your customers are. It can also help them open up and get more comfortable in the interview setting.

2. Topic-specific questions

These questions will take up the bulk of your interview. They will help you understand the motivations, needs, and wants of customers as well as learn more about the problem you are trying to solve.

• What’s your relationship like with (topic)?
• How do you currently go about (problem/task)?
• How much time do you typically spend on (problem/task)?
• How much time would you be willing to spend on (problem/task)?
• How important is saving time to you on (problem/task)?
• Do you experience any obstacles with (problem/task)? Tell me more.
• Tell me about the last time you tried to (problem/task)?
• Do you like anything about how you currently (problem/task)? If so, what? If not, why?
• What are you currently doing to make this (problem/task) easier?
• How does this (problem/task) impact other areas of your life/work?
• What other products or tools have you tried out to help with (problem/task)?
• Have you paid for any of these other products or tools?
• How did you hear about these other products or tools?
• What is the most significant pain point related to (problem/task)
• Why do you keep doing (problem/task)?
• Why is (problem/task) important to you?
• Have you created any workarounds that have to help you? Tell me more.
• What are the hardest and easiest parts about (problem/task)?
• What do you like or dislike about these other products or tools?
• Are you looking for a solution or alternative for (problem/task)? 

You don’t have to ask all of these questions, but ask the ones that will give you a better idea of how you can adjust your product or solution to meet user needs more effectively.

3. Product opportunity questions

Once you have an idea of how a customer interacts with your product or interface or what problems they are experiencing, it’s time to get more specific feedback. If you plan to demo a product or interface, these questions will help you understand user reactions.

• What do you think of this product?
• How do you think you would feel if you had to navigate this product alone?
• What appeals and doesn’t appeal to you visually?
• Do you notice any potential problems with this product? If so, what?
• Do you think someone would use this product?
• Why do you think someone would/would not use this product?
• Can you see yourself ever using this product? If so, why? If not, why?
• Do you think this product is going to help you? If so, how?
• Would you use this product today?
• Do you think you can trust this product? Why or why not?
• What might keep people from using this product?
• What’s the most you would be willing to pay for this product?
• What do you think is a fair price for such a product?
• Does this remind you of any other products? If so, which ones and why?

Don’t be afraid to ask respondents to elaborate on answers to these questions. Answers to these questions are the meat and bones of your research.

4. Product reaction questions

Sometimes it is valuable, even necessary, to have your respondents use your products and then ask questions after they have done some exploring.

• What’s most appealing/least appealing about this product?
• What’s the easiest/hardest part about using this product?
• Was there anything surprising or unexpected about this product?
• Was there anything missing from this product that you expected?
• Would you keep using this product after what you saw today? If not, what would need to change so that you would use it?
• How would you improve this product?

Again, don’t be afraid to ask to follow up questions until you have a clear understanding of what your customers think, value, and want.

Get help with organizing your user research!

Now that you know how to craft the perfect questions for your user research, it’s time to get started. For more information about how to create the ideal interview, and for a more in-depth look into a tool that will help you code, organize, and analyze all your quantitative and qualitative data, check out Fuel Cycle !

Author: Victoria Shakespeare

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User interview example questions.

The following are sample questions for a user interview. Please note that your questions need to be tailored to each individual project.

Questions for Getting to know the user:

• If they are student ask — major, year, school?
• If they are employee ask — what type of employment, and for how long?
• Please tell me about your relation to the [project topic]?
• Describe your typical day at [role environment]?
• When you are on a computer and the internet, are there any challenges you face accessing information?

Questions for gathering user behavior:

• What are the most important tasks you or other people need to perform in using [project website or application]?
• How would you describe your past and current experience with [project topic, website or application]?
• How often do you use or see yourself using [project website or application]?
• If answer is direct URL ask – Do you use a bookmark for this?
• If answer is web searching ask – What terms do you typical search for?
• If answer is a link on another site ask – What sites?
• If answer is a bookmarked link ask – Do you remember how you first obtained the URL?
• What devices do you typically use when visiting [project website or application]?
• Do you or did you in the past use other websites and resources for the same purpose as [project website or application]?
• Is there anything you or your users often look for on [project website or application] that is missing or hard to find?
• Is there any way [project website or application] isn't supporting your needs currently?
• If yes – how do you know?
• If no – how would you go about contacting someone?

Questions for gathering opinion:

• What do you see as the primary function of the [project topic]?
• What do you see as the primary function of the [project website or application]?
• What do you like about the current [project website or application]?
• What don’t you like about the current [project website or application]?

Questions for gathering user awareness:

• Are you aware that [project topic, website or application] offers [particular feature]?

Questions about the project goal:

• Ask follow up question - Do you have any secondary goals?
• What would prevent you from achieving [project goal]?
• What improvements could be made to make [project goal] easier or better?

Questions for projects that provide information:

• How do you use the information on the [project website or application]?
• If yes – who, what format and method of sharing?
• If yes – when, why and in what format?

Questions for a project that has a process:

(ex: purchasing, submitting a request or creating assets)

• How long do you expect the [process in the project] to take?
• Do you remember the communication or any follow up after you performed the [process in the project]?
• Under what circumstances would you want to receive an alert in [process in the project]?

Questions for closing out the interview:

• What haven’t we asked you today that you think would be valuable for us to know?
• May I contact you if we have any other questions or for possible further research for this project?