The first answer a person gives you is almost never the real one. It’s the polite one. It’s the answer that sounds sensible, makes them look competent, and lets the conversation move on.
The real answer tends to arrive a few questions later, usually after a pause, often starting with “well, actually…” That’s the one I’m there for. So I ask “why” a few more times than is comfortable, and then once more.
Why awkward is where the good stuff is
People are kind. In a research session they want to be helpful and they don’t want to make you feel bad about your design. If you stop at the first answer, you collect politeness. If you stay a moment longer, you collect the truth, usually delivered with a slight laugh and the phrase “I know this sounds silly, but…”
It always sounds sensible. It’s often the whole finding.
- First askThe polite answer.Sensible, competent, lets the conversation move on.
- A few questions later“Well, actually…”Usually after a pause.
- Once more“I know this sounds silly, but…”Often the whole finding.
Swap the question
The quickest improvement to any interview is changing what you ask. Opinions about the future are unreliable. Stories about the past are gold.
| Instead of asking | Try |
|---|---|
| Would you use this? | Tell me about the last time you had to do this. |
| Is this easy to understand? | What do you think will happen if you tap that? |
| Do you like it? | What were you expecting to see here? |
| What would make this better? | Show me what you do today when this goes wrong. |
| Any other feedback? | What should I have asked you that I didn’t? |
The last one is my favourite. It hands the conversation back to them, and it often produces the best five minutes of the session.
Let the silence work
The hardest skill in research is not talking. When someone finishes an answer, wait. Count to five in your head. Most people fill the gap with the thing they were holding back. Every instinct tells you to rescue them. Don’t.
Watch the workarounds
The sticky note on the monitor. The spreadsheet that quietly does what the official system can’t. The colleague everyone asks instead of using the help page. Workarounds are unrequested design feedback written in the real world. When I see one, I ask about it like it’s the most interesting object in the room, because it is.
Ask “why” without sounding like an interrogation
- Be curious, not clever. “Help me understand” lands better than “why did you do that?”
- Repeat their words back. “You said it felt fiddly, say more about fiddly.”
- Ask about the moment, not the verdict. “What was going through your head right then?”
- Say you’re not the expert. They are. It’s their job, their day, their tools.
And then, once more, for the data
Curiosity gets you the story. Rigour gets you the pattern. After the sessions I look for the thing that came up in more than one conversation, and I check that I’m not just hearing what I hoped to hear. One person’s “why” is an anecdote. Five people’s is a finding.
So, fair warning: if we ever work together, I will ask you why. Then I’ll ask again. It isn’t suspicion. It’s how I make sure that what we build is for the person who actually has to use it.