In-depth interviews

We have found that the best way to discover why your customers are behaving a certain way or what motivates them, is through qualitative one-on-one, in-depth interviews (IDIs). Quantitative data like analytics or surveys will tell you what they are doing, but the only way to really understand why is through longer, more detailed conversations.

An in-depth customer interview is usually about an hour and involves one of our researchers talking with a customer, or potential customer, about past experiences in detail. We can map out the feedback they give us on a canvas in front of them, or we can chat like two friends on the phone. The goal is to uncover subtle nuances of experiences that would not be picked up in a feedback form, survey, or complaint.

In-depth interviews are best when

You have questions about why customers are behaving a certain way.

You need more data on what your customers' needs are (We like to define these as Jobs to be Done).

You need to form a robust mental model of your customers, to help with ideation.

When it's not feasible or needed to visit customers in their own environments like workplaces, schools, or homes.

Got questions or want to book?

How it usually works

An in-person in-depth interview at a market research facility

Remote or in-person?

For the majority of our customer research, we recommend running them remotely. We have found remote sessions to be more cost-effective and allow for a more diverse audience from across the world. But sometimes, remote is not suitable, and for that reason, we offer both.

Remote

For most research, we use Zoom, but we can chat with customers on any digital platform that supports video and audio. We are comfortable with WhatsApp, Teams, Google Meet, UserZoom, and Lookback.

We stream our sessions over a password-protected Vimeo channel so teams can watch live! During the sessions, we chat with the team in group chats to discuss what we are seeing, interesting insights, and questions for further investigations. These sessions will remain as recordings for others to watch later.

We share a communal online Miro board before the sessions, so if anyone wants to, they can add comments or take notes. Afterwards, we will analyse the sessions and create a detailed findings report.

In-person

Depending on where in the country you would like the sessions to take place, we will organise a suitable venue. We can organise formal market research facilities with one-way glass, or even just two meeting rooms with good internet. We will organise lunch and have informal discussions between sessions. It’s usually a very insightful day, and we welcome teams to stay the whole day if possible.

We can also visit customers in their spaces, to learn about their unique context. (We often visit nurses to learn about how they use technology in the clinic).

Read more about our view on remote UX research.

The mapped out the story taken during an in-depth interview