There are several ways to maximize the benefits of an Empathy Interview:

Interview in Pairs

In order to allow the conversation to feel the most natural without the interruption of notetaking, an interviewing partner can keep a discussion going by asking more thought provoking questions while the other takes notes. Having a partner in the process can also be helpful for discussing and finding additional insights at the conclusion of the interview. If this is not, a video or voice recorder can be used.

Pursue Tangents

Just as it is the sign of a natural conversation, it is important that an empathy interview does not steer back to the same topic. Encourage interviewees to discuss topics they are passionate about as this will offer the most insight into their needs, problems and desires.

Use a Beginner’s Mindset

Interviewers should ask probing questions even about topics that seem familiar. Asking interviewees why they performed an action or feel a certain way about a topic might help them to more deeply consider their behavior.

Ask Neutral Questions

Questions should not be phrased in a way that makes it seem like there is a correct answer. Specifically, they should not have any biasing emotion language that steers the interviewees response in a positive or negative direction. Rather, the questions should be more objective so that participants can draw from their own experiences in their answer. This will allow for the most genuine responses.

Encourage Storytelling

Interview probes should allow the interviewer to gain a better understanding of the way that interviewee’s past experiences shaped their perception of the world, decisions and preferences. Further, participants have an easier time answering questions about previous events rather than unknown future experiences or made-up events. Sharing experiences around real events strengthens the conversation and allows for increased rapport and deeper insight.

Observe Body Language

Often, people indicate their feelings on a topic non-verbally. It is important to observe the interviewee’s body language for crossed arms, eye-contact, fidgeting, facial expressions etc. Beyond taking note of it, use this information as the basis for asking spontaneous new questions.

Embrace Silence

Interviewees sometimes need time to reflect on the questions asked of them to provide a good answer. While interviewers have an impulse to break silences by providing a response prompt, doing this can bias interviewees’ answers in the direction of the prompt. Therefore, it is important to let the interviewee break the silence themselves.

Avoid Binary Questions

Binary questions, or those that can be answered with “yes” or “no”, defeat the purpose of an empathy interview because they do not offer deep insight into an individual’s feelings thoughts and motivations. Ask open-ended questions that start with “what,” “why” and “how” instead.

The tools researchers can use for Empathy Interviews are often simple interview guide which are summarized and communicated with documents and presentations. Unlike most traditional Empathy Interviews processes, Praxie’s online Empathy Interviews tools allow any team or organization to instantly begin working with our web templates and input forms. Get started with our Empathy Interview template. 

How to use it: 

1. Review the customer empathy interview guide before starting your interview.  
2. Write down what the interviewees say, think, and feel. 
3. List the innovations that can be done to solve the issues brought up during the interview. 
4. Create and action plan from your findings.  

Our digital platform goes far beyond other software tools by including progress dashboards, data integration from existing documents or other SaaS software, elegant intuitive designs, and full access on any desktop or mobile device.