In Inception, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a mind thief—the absolute best at the art of extraction. He infiltrates the subconscious to uncover the deepest secrets within a dreamscape that his team intentionally designed.
Surprisingly, conducting in-depth user interviews has some overlaps with this kind of mental heist.
As UX researchers, we’re not just asking questions: We have to move beyond politeness, generic feedback, and surface-level answers to uncover what people truly think, feel, and need. It’s less about ticking off a list of questions, and more about creating the conditions for users to reveal what matters most—even if they don't say it directly.
Participants often won’t tell you the full truth. Not because they’re dishonest, but because they want to be nice. Ask someone what they think of a new feature and they’ll likely respond, “Yeah, it’s super cool”—even if they’d never use it. That’s why user interviews are more than just conversations. Conducting in-depth interviews is a practiced art of listening between the lines and asking with intention.
Understanding in-depth interviews is essential for any UX practitioner looking to uncover the motivations, emotions, and mental models that drive user behavior. In this article, we explore practical tips to help you go beyond surface-level feedback and conduct user interviews that lead to meaningful insights.
Best Practices at a Glance
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Understand the Why to Drive Smarter Decisions
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Why In-depth Interviews Matter
With all the AI tools and unmoderated testing platforms available, it’s easy to scale research fast, but also easy to skip the human part. Quantitative data tells you what happened, but rich qualitative data help you understand the why and how users actually think and feel.
User interviews are the epitome of qualitative research methods that is attitudinal—the kind that uncovers what users think, feel, and believe. They help you understand perceptions, expectations, and emotional reactions. If you're trying to understand behavior—how users interact with a product or respond to a design—other methods like usability testing are often more appropriate. But when it comes to exploring mental models, motivations, and unmet needs, interviews are unmatched.
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In fact, in-depth interviews often show up in combination with other research methods as semi-structured interviews or unstructured interviews. In nearly every moderated UX study, there’s an element of interviewing. Even in usability tests, we don’t jump straight into tasks—we begin by asking a few warm-up questions to build rapport, ease participants into the session, and gather background context.
At their best, in-depth interviews do more than gather feedback. They help you and your team develop a user-centric mindset by building empathy for your users and a deeper understanding of their experiences.
Best Practices for Conducting In-depth Interviews
Conducting an effective user interview takes more than a well-curated in-depth interview guide. It requires creating space for honest conversation and keeping your questions intentional. The key insights often come from subtle moments: a follow-up question, a shift in tone, or a conversation that is outside the in-depth interview question.
1. Use the introduction to build rapport and trust
It’s easy to treat the intro of an interview—explaining who you are, what the study is about, and how things will go—as a box to check before jumping into the “real” conversation. But this opening moment is more important than it seems as it sets the tone for the entire conversation.
Start by thanking participants for their time and making it clear how valuable their input is. Let them know their honest feedback plays a direct role in shaping the product as it gives them a stronger sense of purpose and encourages more thoughtful, candid responses.
As the session begins, look for moments to build trust through small signals of active listening. Simple cues—like nodding, mirroring their behavior, or saying things like “mmhmm,” “that makes sense,” or “interesting”—help reassure participants that they’re being heard and respected. The more comfortable they feel, the more open and real the conversation becomes.
2. Let the conversation flow
In-depth interviews aren’t just about asking questions and collecting answers, but about having real conversations. While your interview guide is there to provide structure, don’t treat it like a script. The most valuable insights often come when the conversation veers off the expected path.
Sometimes, a participant may linger on a topic you didn’t plan to explore, but that’s often where the gold is. Rather than steering them back to your guide too quickly, stay flexible to explore unexpected topic areas. Use follow-up questions to dig deeper and connect their story back to your research goals. These spontaneous detours can surface rich, unexpected insights that structured questions alone might miss.
Follow-up questions are the backbone of effective qualitative research. Asking relevant follow-up questions also shows that you are actively listening. One simple but powerful technique is the Five Whys—a method that helps uncover root causes by repeatedly asking “why.”
The 5 Why Example:
Interviewer: What do you think of the new dashboard?
User: It’s fine, but I don’t use it much.
Interviewer: Why don’t you use it much?
User: I usually get what I need from the emails.
Interviewer: Why do you prefer emails over the dashboard?
User: They’re quicker—I don’t have to log in.
Interviewer: Why is logging in a blocker for you?
User: I have to reset my password often, and that’s annoying.
Interviewer: Why do you keep needing to reset your password?
User: Our IT team makes us change it every month, and I can’t keep track.
What started as “I don’t use the dashboard” turned into a completely new usability insight around access friction.
3. Keep the conversation grounded on real events
Asking open-ended questions is key to unlocking rich insights. While binary questions like “Do you like this?” often lead to short, one-word answers, prompts that begin with how or why encourage participants to reflect and elaborate. They naturally open the door to stories, reasoning, and deeper context.
Relying on yes-or-no questions puts more pressure on you as the interviewer as you’ll have to do extra work to probe for detail. And not every participant is comfortable or confident enough to expand on a simple “yes.”
Open-ended questions reduce that friction, helping participants share more freely and giving you rich qualitative data to work with during data analysis.
Whenever possible, ground your questions in real events.
- ❌ Don't: "How useful is this new feature?"
- ✅ Do: "When was the last time this new feature would've been helpful to you?"
This shifts the focus from abstract opinions to actual behavior and use cases—giving you more reliable, actionable insights.
You might hear responses like “this new feature would've been useful yesterday!”—which is great.
But don’t stop there. Follow-up to anchor the conversation to uncover the full context and nuance behind their response: "How could it have been useful to you yesterday?" or "Can you walk me through how this could've been useful yesterday?"
Just as important is creating a neutral, judgment-free space where participants feel comfortable sharing both positive and negative feedback. When discussing a new feature, for example, it’s tempting to seek validation—but be mindful not to lead them. Balance the conversation by asking what they liked and what they found confusing or frustrating.
4. Engage with active listening and body language
When conversing with participants, it's crucial to minimize your interventions and keep the spotlight on them. You should be talking less than you're listening. As a general rule, aim to listen about 90% of the time (with a bit of exaggeration). Step in only when needed to ask clarifying questions or gently steer the conversation. This gives participants the space to fully share their stories—and helps you stay present and immersed in what they’re saying.
Follow up with questions that clarify or rephrase what you’ve heard. This not only helps clear up any misinterpretations but also signals to the participant that their input is valued. Demonstrating active listening builds trust over time and encourages more open dialogue.
Don’t overlook non-verbal cues like facial expressions, posture, and body language. If you notice something that stands out—such as a participant frowning while describing an experience—address it with a follow-up like, “I noticed you were frowning as you shared your experience... can you tell me more about that?” This shows you’re paying close attention and helps you empathize on a deeper level.
5. Make user interviews a team sport
In-depth interviews are more impactful when they're shared experiences. Invite stakeholders to observe live sessions—it’s one thing to read a summary, but seeing and hearing users speak firsthand brings a whole new level of empathy and clarity. It helps ground conversations in real user voices, not assumptions. You might be surprised to see how stakeholders who’ve attended even a single session tend to reference those conversations later and show a noticeable shift toward user-centric thinking.
To make collaboration easier, set up the right environment:
- Consider reserving a few minutes at the end of each session for stakeholders to ask final questions directly.
- Create a live ongoing backchannel, where your team members can take notes, ask clarifying or follow-up questions as the interview unfolds. When your team is part of the research process, they're more likely to care about the outcomes.
- At the end of each session, debrief with your team, sharing key takeaways, what stood out or if anything was surprising.
6. Save time at the end to exhaust last minute thoughts
Before wrapping up the interview, take a moment to thank participants for their time and insights—and always leave room for any last thoughts. This simple gesture gives them space to surface lingering ideas, reactions, or suggestions that may not have come up earlier.
You’d be surprised how often the most interesting insights come right at the end, when participants feel more relaxed and reflective. They might share a fresh perspective, offer a solution, or bring up something that completely reframes your understanding.
Here’s a sample prompt:
“Today we’ve been exploring [topic] and how to improve the experience. Is there anything else you'd like to share with me or the team?”
You can take a more intentional approach too:
“Before we wrap up, I want to walk away with at least one key takeaway about [research questions]. With that in mind, is there anything else you’d like to share?”
Discover Deep User Insights with Interviews
Interviewing is more than just gathering qualitative data. It involves a human-to-human interaction that relies heavily on moderator's presence and interview skills. The quality of insights you uncover is often shaped by how you guide the conversation, build rapport, and respond in the moment.
In this guide, we’ve shared best practices to help you run in-depth interviews. By approaching each session as an opportunity to build genuine connection, grounding the conversation in real-life experiences, and listening actively, you’ll create the conditions for rich data that leads to valuable insights.
Understand the Why to Drive Smarter Decisions
Uncover rich user insights and streamline research process with Hubble
