Interviews

Less reliable than site visits, but second best way of gathering end user feedback is interviewing the users one on one. Without peer pressures associated with a focus group, end users are freer to discuss their working situation frankly and confidentially. To gain maximum benefit the user is often asked to bring in work samples and discussing them concretely. Interviews are the preferred method for software intended to address critical incidents. Users’ memory of these incidents are usually quite vivid, and the chances of catching a critical incident during a site visit is usually low.

Resources:
- 1-2 User Experience Specialists or Usability Engineers

Estimated time needed:
- 1 week preparation (an additional week is sometimes needed for recruiting the right users, critical success factor in the process)
- 1-2 weeks interviews
- 1-2 days for report