At MidwestUX, I gave a shorten version of my upcoming STC Summit presentation. For those of you that came to my talk, thank you for your time and attention. For those that were not able to make it, below you will find a recap of the material I provided to the crowd. Really quickly, I’d like to thank the MidwestUX team for putting on a great conference, and for allowing me the chance to be a part of the event.
One of the best ways user experience professionals can build an empathic link with people, is to interview them in their homes, or their personal environments. Doing this comes at a risk though. Not a physical risk per se, but an emotional and mental risk. You learn about extremely sensitive information and you hear such emotional stories that it can eventually take a lot out of you, not only as a designer but also as a person.
Midwest UX Slides
STC Summit Slides
The research that provided the content for this presentation came from my own experience doing user research with cancer patients and their caregivers, and interviewing people about their personal finance, specifically their retirement funds. Supplemental material was provided thanks to Whitney Hess and Erin Jo Richey, based on research they performed as well. After going back and reviewing all the various interviews I’ve done in the past, I found that many people fell into certain themes. The best way to describe these themes is by using the movie genre metaphor to categorize them.
Suspense
These are people with engaging stories that just capture your attention. Interviewing someone that falls into this genre really requires you to engage with the participant. You want to follow their story, going as deep as it may go. This may require you to go “off script” sometimes. It’s important to remain focus though, and don’t go down too many rabbit holes. You’re there to collect a certain amount of specific information and you don’t want to miss your chance.
Drama
These interviews are very emotional, and they leave you with a lot of baggage. They will haunt you for years to come, and in certain respects they can over-shadow the other participants in the study. Because these stories stick with you so strongly, I encourage you to develop some method that allows the other participants to stand out. My method was to give them nicknames based on an interesting aspect of their life, or something I noticed while sitting at their dining room table.
One important factor about interviews that are very dramatic, is the fact they are extremely emotional. It’s very possible that emotion will begin to effect you during the interview, even to the point they make you start to cry. This is totally acceptable, but at this point the interview is over for the most part. You can continue asking questions, but your way of thinking, and the way you process the information you are collecting will be affected by your emotional state.
Comedy
These interviews are just down right fun. You’ll quickly find yourself not only enjoying yourself immensely, but engaging with the participant on a whole new level. Because these in-home interviews have such a fun factor associated with them, time just flies by. So it’s important to keep an eye on the clock, and ask all the necessary questions to collect the appropriate data.
Participants that are good at telling funny stories can be a life saver though when you’ve already been exposed to very dramatic session. These remind you that not all is bad in the world and to not take everything so seriously. It’s easy to want to become buddy-buddy with these interview participants, but I would caution against it. It’s ok to joke around and laugh, but you still need to maintain a barrier between you and them to ensure you maintain your researcher role.
Thriller
You’re in for a shocking time with these types of in-home interviews. People will mention things very candidly that can be really off base, or you might notice something around their house that puts you on edge. It’s vital to never act surprised when these things happen, or to draw attention to them. However, if it gets to the point where the overall interview has become so uncomfortable, it might be necessary to put an end to it. Thank the participant for their time, give them their honorarium, and simply leave.
Documentary
Interviews that focus on a shared event or experiences are unique. This genre comes from the experiences Whitney Hess had while performing user research for the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. This is another time where emotions can run wild, especially if the focus of the interview is a traumatic event. Whitney recommends that you build an emotional wall up on the inside, and that the time to deal with your personal emotions is when you are reviewing all the data that was collected.
Foreign
Cultural difference can wreck havoc on your research if you aren’t properly prepared. Erin Jo Richey ran into this problem while performing user research in Italy. When it came time to provide the participant with their honorarium, they would refuse it. This was because the Italian participates thought of their participation as an honor, and not something they should get paid for. This is just one example of a cultural difference causing issues during user research, but it is something that can easily pop up numerous times if you are interviewing people abroad.
General Takeaways
I also provided some generic advice and steps other user experience professionals can take to best prepare for doing in-home user research. These included:
The Buddy System – Never go alone, not just for your own safety but for the participants as well. People actually feel more comfortable welcoming two people into their home rather than just one.
Be “On Time” – Being late is a huge taboo when you are meeting with someone at their home. I recommend showing up about five minutes early, and if you KNOW you’re going to be late call ahead of time.
Welcome Packet – Prepare a little welcome pack and mail it to the participants a few days before the actual interview. This should include pictures, bios, project background information, and supervisor/client contact information.
Humanize Yourself – This is best done by taking a glass of water if offered one. By doing this, you become a guest in their home rather than some stranger coming to study them.
Be 100% Honest – Never lie or deceive someone who is inviting you into their personal space. You need their trust to collect good information, plus doing otherwise is very unethical.
No Loitering – Once the interview is over … leave. Don’t debrief outside on their sidewalk, or in the car while still parked on the street. Drive to a nearby coffee shop and do it there.
I will be giving an expanded version of this talk at the STC Summit next month. If you have done extensive user research in either people’s home or some other personal environment, what are some lessons learned that you might have for user experience professionals preparing for this type of study?