Learn about the problem before pitching the idea.

Start with one learning question

Choose an uncertainty that affects a decision you need to make. For example: “How do student club organisers collect late registrations?” is narrower than “Would students use our event app?” Write the decision first, then the question. If the answer will not change what you do next, reconsider the interview’s purpose.

Recruit people who recently experienced that situation. Friends can help you practise, but friendliness and convenience can skew what you hear. Record how you found each participant so you can see whom you missed.

Use a recent event as your starting point

Explain what you are researching, ask permission to take notes, and let the participant decline a question. Ask them to walk through the last relevant event from beginning to end.

• What were you trying to get done?
• What happened first, and what did you do next?
• Where did you get stuck?
• What did you use instead, and why?
• What happened when the problem stayed unresolved?

Avoid turning “Would you use this?” into your main evidence. A future intention may not match future behaviour. If you show a prototype, separate that part of the conversation from research about their existing process.

Separate observation from interpretation

Use three columns in your notes: what the participant said or did, your interpretation, and an unanswered question. “The organiser checked three spreadsheets” is an observation. “They need our dashboard” is an interpretation. Record contrary examples as carefully as supporting ones.

Do not put names, recordings or identifying details into a shared team document without permission. For this worksheet, a role description is enough. Keep raw interview material under the access and retention arrangements you agreed with the participant.

Turn notes into the next decision

After each interview, write what surprised you and which assumption changed. Look for differences between participants rather than counting compliments. A small convenience sample is useful for learning, but it does not establish the size of a market.

Example: two organisers both use spreadsheets, but one struggles with attendance and the other with payment reconciliation. Those are different problems. Investigate the difference before combining them into a bigger product.

Next: use the experiment planner to design one small test around what you learned.