Research: How to run async user interviews

During user interviews, you can use techniques like card sorting or ask users to add ideas, or choose between ideas the same way they will do that during a meeting. You can even run group interviews asynchronously because they will be able to see each other's answers and you will be able to evaluate how the group influences their individual decisions.

It can have different shapes, but the most common is this one. You can start by welcoming them and explaining what the objective is. Then you can, for example, share your screen or introduce yourself with a video, especially what you want is that they don't have to read too much. We do that with Loom, for example, and add the video here. Then you ask your first question and choose how they should answer. Should they add a note? Should they add multiple sticky notes, or should they choose between a few notes?

You can make them choose between options and ask more and more questions. Sharing prototypes, ideas, or even sharing your screen as mentioned earlier. If this is a group interview, you can let them see each other's cursors, and see each other's answers. It's important that you look at the privacy settings of each step and decide if they can see each other's answers, then choose open for all, or if you want to make sure they don't see each other's answers you have to choose this option. Also very important make sure cursors are disabled because if they see each other in the session that could influence their decisions.

In general, a user interview done asynchronously can look like this. Participants will have a start and due date, but they can participate on their own time. To get started, add a session, then start adding questions and information to guide them. Think about what you will say during the interview, what questions would you ask and what would you share or want them to do. Instead of asking the questions, you can write it down, and instead of saying the same thing during each interview, you say that once and record that.

You can add the questions like this and when you are ready you click stop editing. Before you stop editing remember to look at your privacy settings. If you are not sure add a note and then access the session with an incognito window. If you can't see the note means that is private and everything is correct.

Once ready, you can add a due date, and invite the participants by sharing this link. Remember to think about how to best lead this research session. In here, for example, you can ask people to group ideas by colors. In there, you can ask the user to choose 2 or 3 options. In here instead you can ask them to share how they feel about an idea, but you can also ask them to order things like this, or if you are running a group interview add a whiteboard to use a technique like card sort. This is a simple example of how you can lead individual or group interviews asynchronously with Nova.

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