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+##### Related Documents
+
+- [User Needs](User-Needs)
+- [Interview Notes](interview-notes.html)
+
+---
+
+**Process impact:** This checklist will help you plan customer
+interviews.
+
+### Pre-Interview Checklist
+
+1. Decide what goals you want to accomplish
+2. Prepare a list of questions
+   - Ask about things you know you need to find out, based on your
+     current understanding of the requirements
+   - Keep questions simple. Don't use multi-part questions, break
+     complex topics into individual questions.
+   - Confirm key assumptions. E.g., "You are the one who actually
+     would use this software, right?" "The total needs to be
+     displayed and updated as each item is scanned, right?"
+   - Avoid leading or multiple-choice questions because the right
+     answer might be one that you don't know about yet. E.g., WRONG:
+     "Would you log in to the system from your desk here or from
+     home?" RIGHT: "Where are some of the places you would be sitting
+     when you log in?" "Here in my office, but also when I work with
+     others sometimes I log in from their office or from a machine in
+     the lab or conference room... so, I don't want a cookie saved
+     there."
+   - Try to find out the priority of each requirement: essential,
+     expected, desired, or optional.
+   - Write some more open-ended questions to see if new important
+     requirements come up.
+   - Don't ask too many questions that seem out of scope, you could
+     accidentally change the scope or set incorrect expectations.
+     E.g., "Would you like the system to also do ten other cool
+     things?" "Sure!"
+3. Select interviewees that represent all important stakeholders
+4. Review your questions. Do you think they can be answered? Will they
+   help achieve your goals? If not, go back and revise.
+5. Decide whether you want to do this interview via email, telephone,
+   or in person
+6. Schedule an interview a time and place for the
+   interviewee's convenience. Plan on the interview lasting one hour.
+
+### Interview Checklist
+
+1. Be prompt, courteous, and business-like
+2. Introduce yourself and explain why you are there
+3. Make sure that you are interviewing the person you think you are.
+   Get their contact information (e.g., email address) if you don't
+   already have it.
+4. Ask permission to take notes. Don't record or video tape.
+5. Confirm the amount of time you and the interviewee have for
+   this session.
+6. Give a quick indication of the type and number of questions that you
+   have
+7. Work through the questions.
+8. Listen. That is why you are there.
+9. If the interviewee refers to existing documents, systems, equipment,
+   or people, make sure that you understand what he or she is
+   talking about. If it is important, ask if you may have a copy or
+   screenshot (but, don't ask for anything containing proprietary
+   information), or make a note of the important aspects of the items
+   referred to. Note the URLs of any existing public
+   websites discussed.
+10. Try not to answer the questions yourself, or to react to interviewee
+    requests by making promises to solve problems. Interviews are for
+    understanding the problems, not solving them or setting schedules
+    or deliverables.
+11. Write down action items to follow up on finding more information.
+    E.g., if the interviewee starts explaining at length something that
+    you know you can learn on your own, or if they don't know the answer
+    and start speculating at length, you should try to move on the
+    next question.
+12. If you find that you have prepared the wrong questions, focus on
+    getting information that will help you prepare the right
+    follow-up questions.
+13. Finish on time. If you need more time, continue via email or
+    another meeting.
+14. Summarize action items that you will follow up on
+15. Ask if the interviewee has any questions for you, or if there was
+    something more that they wanted you to ask.
+16. Make sure to leave contact information
+17. Thank the interviewee for their time
+
+### Post-Interview Checklist
+
+1. Within 24 hours, read your notes and fill in any important details
+   that were said but not written down
+2. Type up your notes so that they can be shared with the team and
+   archived
+3. Formulate any important follow-up questions
+4. Within 2-3 days, send a follow-up email message to
+   - Thank the interviewee again
+   - Confirm that you have their correct email address, and make it
+     easier for them to reply to you
+   - Ask any important follow-up questions
+   - Give status on your action items, if any. E.g., "I searched
+     Google for that product you mentioned and I couldn't find a
+     users manual, but I did find a magazine review of it." Or,
+     "After I interviewed you, I spoke with Bob, and he confirmed
+     that some current products do cost $0.00."