1. Choose the right inter­view part­ners

This step is key to get­ting mean­ing­ful results. Make sure to include a range of per­spec­tives, back­grounds, and expe­ri­ences. Along­side peo­ple from your tar­get group, con­sid­er speak­ing with experts and oth­ers work­ing in sim­i­lar fields.

2. Cre­ate inter­view ques­tions for your tar­get group

The fol­low­ing ques­tion ideas are just a start­ing point – adapt them to fit your solu­tion and your audi­ence. Depend­ing on the ques­tion, you can offer mul­ti­ple-choice options, rat­ing scales, or open-end­ed answers.

Eval­u­ate the pro­posed solu­tion

• What aspects of our solu­tion do you like most?
• Are there any parts you find prob­lem­at­ic or inef­fec­tive?
• How easy is our solu­tion to under­stand and use?
• What sug­ges­tions do you have to improve our con­cept?

Rel­e­vance and accep­tance of the solu­tion

• How like­ly are you to use our solu­tion?
• What would moti­vate you to active­ly use it?
• What might pre­vent you from using it?

Assess­ing poten­tial impact

• To what extent do you agree that our solu­tion could lead to pos­i­tive change in your envi­ron­ment?
• What spe­cif­ic pos­i­tive changes could our solu­tion bring about?

Fea­si­bil­i­ty and resources

• How real­is­tic do you think imple­ment­ing our solu­tion in your envi­ron­ment is?
• What chal­lenges or bar­ri­ers might arise?
• What resources or sup­port would you need to use it suc­cess­ful­ly?
• Would you be able to use the solu­tion on your own, or would you need help?

Coop­er­a­tion and engage­ment

• How will­ing are you to active­ly con­tribute to improv­ing and adapt­ing our solu­tion?
• What kind of sup­port or col­lab­o­ra­tion could you offer to help us devel­op the solu­tion fur­ther?

3. Write a clear, friend­ly invi­ta­tion to the inter­view

Be trans­par­ent about what par­tic­i­pants can expect. Many peo­ple will won­der if they need to pre­pare or how much time it will take. Explain the pur­pose of the inter­view, how long it will last, and make it clear that no prepa­ra­tion is need­ed. Thank them in advance for their time and empha­size how valu­able their input is to the project.

4. Cre­ate a com­fort­able atmos­phere

This is key to open, hon­est con­ver­sa­tions. Start by briefly intro­duc­ing your­selves and your project, and explain why you’re doing the inter­view. Make sure par­tic­i­pants feel at ease – be friend­ly, keep the set­ting relaxed, and let them know they can ask ques­tions or share con­cerns at any time.