Client / User group interview

Why Client Interviews Are Important

Client Interviews are little more than a good old fashioned chat. They do however play a very special role: They help you to understand your client’s problems at a deeper level and they help your client to see you as an authority, and someone in whom they can place their trust. If you really listen to your client and what they want you will design a better product!

How to find out what your user group want

The most popular ways of finding out what your user group want, would be to design and conduct a User (Group) / Clientinterview. The key to successful research is to ask the right questions. If your questions are not thought through, then the answers will not give you information that will help you to generate design solutions to match your client / user group’s needs. A Client / User interview is a better form of research than a Questionnaire. Ask a rubbish question and you will get a rubbish answer! This could be referred as ‘Garbage in = Garbage out’.

You need to establish exactly what your user group want the product to do and any particular features they would like the product to have. You may also want to ask them what aesthetic qualities they would like the product to have. The design of a User / Client interview is critical in order to get the kind of answers that allow design decisions to be made. You should always try to test an interview before using it. In general, shorter interviews are usually better than long ones as you have more chance of people completing them, but the more you can get your Client / User to say (write) the better. You will also use your interview(s) later in your project to help guide the writing of your specification – this is very important, and as part of your evaluation and testing. You could get ChatGPT to help you to write some good, informative questions to help you ask your client.

How to present this information in a suitable format

Conducting an in-depth interview with your User (group) / Client will give you valuable information and insight into what their needs are. Think carefully about the questions you will ask and record the responses from each interview. It would also be beneficial for you to record, in some way, the interview taking place. This could be done through a photograph of you conducting the interview or could even be recorded on a video camera / mobile phone. The responses then need to be presented in a format that makes the information accessible. You should aim to try and ask around 15 questions to your client / user and type the questions and responses onto a document to present the information. If you use your questions as part of a Questionairre i.e. Google Forms to ask a range of people (User group) then you should show your results either in graph or chart format. If you use a video recording you could insert and embed this into your PowerPoint.

As mentioned above, the wording of the questions is vitally important. The questions should be:

·       Relevant – only include questions that target the information required

·       Clear – avoid long words, jargon and technical terms; questions must be easy to understand

·       Inoffensive – take care with questions about age, social class, salary, ethnicity, so as not to cause offence

·       Brief – short questions of less than 20 words

·       Precise – each question should tackle one topic at a time

·       Impartial – avoid ‘leading’ questions that influence the answer

Possible questions you could ask could be based around:

Aesthetics (look of the design); safety; styling; trends; technology; materials; Environmental issues; renewable energy; age group; colour; finish; type of style client / user group would prefer; comfort; price or costing – what the user group are prepared to pay for the product you are designing; size of product; packaging; presentation; logo / company name or information – what company brands do you associate with quality or ‘coolness’? Does this affect your judgement?

Of course you could get Chat GPT to assist you in writing directed questions to ask to your Client

Here is the 'prompt' that I asked Chat GPT and these are the responses

Please could you help me write 15 good research questions that I should ask to my intended client that lives in Bangkok, Thailand who is a male business man, with a wife and two young boys, and who has expensive tastes. The family like good looking stylish products from companies such as Bang and Olufsen, Grovemade, Alessi, Dyson, Dualit, BMW and Tesla. They like products using high end, niche materials such as hardwoods, brass and aluminum, and generally a minimalistic styling. They want the sound of the amplifier to be loud enough for the entire living area of lounge, kitchen, dining table, which is 52 square meters in total. It would be ideal if the speaker could be moved around easily. Ideally it would be great if the speaker could use some solar power. 

Certainly! Here are 15 research questions you can ask your intended client to gather valuable insights and preferences for your Bluetooth amplifier/speaker design project:

1. What specific features or qualities do you look for in stylish and high-end audio products?

2. How important is the aesthetic appeal of the amplifier/speaker to you and your family?

3. Could you describe your desired minimalistic styling preferences in more detail?

4. What are your expectations in terms of the overall sound quality and performance of the amplifier/speaker?

5. Are there any specific materials or finishes you prefer for the casing of the amplifier/speaker?

6. How crucial is portability for the amplifier/speaker? Do you have any specific requirements or scenarios where it would be moved around frequently?

7. Could you provide more insight into your interest in utilizing solar power for the speaker? What are your expectations and requirements for this feature?

8. What are your preferred audio sources for the amplifier/speaker (e.g., Bluetooth streaming, wired connections, etc.)?

9. Do you have any specific preferences or requirements for the user interface and controls of the amplifier/speaker?

10. How important is energy efficiency and power-saving features for the amplifier/speaker?

11. Are there any specific brands or product lines you admire or find inspiration from in the audio industry?

12. What is the primary usage scenario for the amplifier/speaker? Is it primarily for entertainment, background music, or something else?

13. How frequently will the amplifier/speaker be used, and for what duration each day?

14. Are there any specific challenges or concerns you have experienced with audio products in the past that you would like to address with this new design?

15. What is your budget range for the Bluetooth amplifier/speaker?

The Chat GPT results re-worded and presented, in a similar style to the previous slides. 

To be successful you will:

·       Write a clear, concise Client / User group interview that asks relevant questions (ideally at least 15!) to aid your design concept generation and solve the problem

·       Ideally ask more than one person - Client / User Interviews

·       Use photographs and video to record that the interview took place. As a minimu you MUST have a photo of the interview taking place!

·       Use video and products to demonstrate or illustrate your questions. This is a really good way to guage what your client likes

·       Present your results clearly - you could use colour coding or Bold text for example

·       Write a Client / User group interview that will help guide your Design Specification

Below are two outstanding examples of Client Interviews that are conducted over a number of slides