Ask about an event, not a general preference
Customer interviews are most useful when people describe what happened, not just what they believe they usually do. Ask “What matters most when you choose a service?” and you may get a tidy list of priorities. Ask “Tell me about the last time you chose a service like this,” and you have a better chance of hearing what the person considered, what they did, and what made the choice difficult. Both answers have value, but a specific story gives you more to examine.
Start with a situation the participant is likely to remember. “Walk me through the last time you needed to replace this item” is more focused than “How do you shop?” If the event is too old or unusual to recall clearly, invite another example. The aim is not to test anyone’s memory. It is to find an experience they can describe in their own words.
Give the story room to unfold
An open-ended question should leave several possible answers available. “What was going on when you started looking?” invites context. “You started looking because the price went up, right?” offers a reason for the participant to confirm or reject. Even when you have a strong hypothesis, keep it out of the initial question so you can hear what the person mentions without prompting.
A useful sequence follows the experience: what prompted it, what happened next, which options came up, where the person hesitated, and how things ended. You do not need to ask every question in that order. Follow the participant’s account, then return to gaps. Short prompts such as “What happened after that?” or “Can you tell me more about that moment?” can uncover detail without taking control of the story.
Allow pauses. If an answer is brief, give the person a moment before moving on; they may be recalling a detail or deciding how to explain it. Avoid stacking several questions together, which makes it unclear which one they should answer. One question at a time is easier to follow and gives you a clearer account.
Probe for observable details without demanding certainty
Once a participant names an important point, ask what it looked like in practice. If they say a checkout felt confusing, you might ask, “Which part did you pause at?” or “What did you do next?” If they say they compared options, ask where they looked and what information helped them decide. These follow-ups turn labels such as “easy,” “expensive,” or “trustworthy” into experiences you can better understand.
Separate what happened from an interpretation of why it happened. Someone may say, “I nearly gave up because the process was too long.” You can ask what steps they remember and where they considered stopping, while still treating their explanation seriously. If they cannot recall a detail, do not press for a precise answer. “What do you remember about it?” lets them distinguish a clear memory from a guess.
Be careful with “why” questions. They can be useful, but repeated “Why did you do that?” prompts may sound as though the participant must defend a choice. Alternatives such as “What were you hoping would happen?” and “What made that option stand out at the time?” often feel more conversational while still revealing the reasoning they can recall.
Avoid steering the account toward your assumptions
The wording of a question can quietly suggest a preferred answer. “How frustrating was the setup?” assumes frustration; “What was setting it up like?” does not. Likewise, asking only about problems can hide what worked well. Invite both sides with questions such as “What went smoothly?” and “Where, if anywhere, did you run into trouble?” This makes it easier for a participant to disagree with your expectations.
Keep your reactions neutral, especially when an answer surprises you. You can show that you are listening without praising a response that supports your idea or correcting one that does not. If you need to check your understanding, reflect it back tentatively: “It sounds like you looked at reviews before comparing prices. Have I got that right?” The participant can then confirm, correct, or add to your summary.
Turn stories into usable interview notes
After an interview, record the context around each story: the participant’s goal, the event they described, the steps they remembered, and any uncertainty in their account. Keep their words distinct from your interpretation. “They checked the return policy before ordering” is a description; “They do not trust the brand” is an inference that may need more evidence.
As you review several interviews, look for recurring situations and differences rather than treating one vivid story as a universal pattern. Note what people were trying to accomplish, where their paths diverged, and which questions remain unanswered. Specific stories do not automatically tell you how common a behavior is. They do, however, help you form clearer questions for the next interview and identify decisions worth examining further.
