User Interview Guide

1. Before the call

• •Recruit 5–8 users who performed the target action in the last 30 days.
• •Offer a $50 gift card — paid regardless of what they say.
• •Record (with permission). One person interviews, one person takes verbatim notes.

2. The 5-question script

1. 1.“Walk me through the last time you did [action]. Start from the moment you decided to do it.”
2. 2.“What was the hardest part of that process?”
3. 3.“Did you try anything else before using us? What happened?”
4. 4.“If this tool disappeared tomorrow, what would you do?”
5. 5.“Is there anything you wish I’d asked?”

3. During the call

• •Embrace silence. Count to 5 before filling gaps.
• •Follow emotion, not logic. “You sounded frustrated there — tell me more.”
• •Never pitch, never defend. You are a journalist, not a salesperson.

4. After the call

• •Debrief within 2 hours while memory is fresh.
• •Tag quotes by theme: onboarding, pricing, trust, workflow, switching cost.
• •After 5 calls, cluster themes. Anything mentioned by 3+ people is a pattern.