105 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
105 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD041 -->
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##### Related Documents
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- [User Needs](User-Needs)
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- [Interview Notes](interview-notes.html)
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---
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**Process impact:** This checklist will help you plan customer
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interviews.
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### Pre-Interview Checklist
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1. Decide what goals you want to accomplish
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2. Prepare a list of questions
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- Ask about things you know you need to find out, based on your
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current understanding of the requirements
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- Keep questions simple. Don't use multi-part questions, break
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complex topics into individual questions.
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- Confirm key assumptions. E.g., "You are the one who actually
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would use this software, right?" "The total needs to be
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displayed and updated as each item is scanned, right?"
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- Avoid leading or multiple-choice questions because the right
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answer might be one that you don't know about yet. E.g., WRONG:
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"Would you log in to the system from your desk here or from
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home?" RIGHT: "Where are some of the places you would be sitting
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when you log in?" "Here in my office, but also when I work with
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others sometimes I log in from their office or from a machine in
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the lab or conference room... so, I don't want a cookie saved
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there."
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- Try to find out the priority of each requirement: essential,
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expected, desired, or optional.
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- Write some more open-ended questions to see if new important
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requirements come up.
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- Don't ask too many questions that seem out of scope, you could
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accidentally change the scope or set incorrect expectations.
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E.g., "Would you like the system to also do ten other cool
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things?" "Sure!"
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3. Select interviewees that represent all important stakeholders
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4. Review your questions. Do you think they can be answered? Will they
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help achieve your goals? If not, go back and revise.
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5. Decide whether you want to do this interview via email, telephone,
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or in person
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6. Schedule an interview a time and place for the
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interviewee's convenience. Plan on the interview lasting one hour.
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### Interview Checklist
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1. Be prompt, courteous, and business-like
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2. Introduce yourself and explain why you are there
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3. Make sure that you are interviewing the person you think you are.
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Get their contact information (e.g., email address) if you don't
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already have it.
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4. Ask permission to take notes. Don't record or video tape.
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5. Confirm the amount of time you and the interviewee have for
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this session.
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6. Give a quick indication of the type and number of questions that you
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have
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7. Work through the questions.
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8. Listen. That is why you are there.
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9. If the interviewee refers to existing documents, systems, equipment,
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or people, make sure that you understand what he or she is
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talking about. If it is important, ask if you may have a copy or
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screenshot (but, don't ask for anything containing proprietary
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information), or make a note of the important aspects of the items
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referred to. Note the URLs of any existing public
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websites discussed.
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10. Try not to answer the questions yourself, or to react to interviewee
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requests by making promises to solve problems. Interviews are for
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understanding the problems, not solving them or setting schedules
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or deliverables.
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11. Write down action items to follow up on finding more information.
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E.g., if the interviewee starts explaining at length something that
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you know you can learn on your own, or if they don't know the answer
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and start speculating at length, you should try to move on the
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next question.
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12. If you find that you have prepared the wrong questions, focus on
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getting information that will help you prepare the right
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follow-up questions.
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13. Finish on time. If you need more time, continue via email or
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another meeting.
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14. Summarize action items that you will follow up on
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15. Ask if the interviewee has any questions for you, or if there was
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something more that they wanted you to ask.
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16. Make sure to leave contact information
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17. Thank the interviewee for their time
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### Post-Interview Checklist
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1. Within 24 hours, read your notes and fill in any important details
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that were said but not written down
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2. Type up your notes so that they can be shared with the team and
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archived
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3. Formulate any important follow-up questions
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4. Within 2-3 days, send a follow-up email message to
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- Thank the interviewee again
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- Confirm that you have their correct email address, and make it
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easier for them to reply to you
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- Ask any important follow-up questions
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- Give status on your action items, if any. E.g., "I searched
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Google for that product you mentioned and I couldn't find a
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users manual, but I did find a magazine review of it." Or,
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"After I interviewed you, I spoke with Bob, and he confirmed
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that some current products do cost $0.00."
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