Discussion guides are critical. They are a detailed plan of what will happen in a user research interview session. Here are some helpful tips for authorizing discussion guides:

• Brevity and directness are key. Remove unnecessary words

• Speak in layman's terms. Avoid industry jargon (pain point, usability test, task, mental model, etc.)

• Add every single URL and any other information you will share or refer to during your sessions directly into your guide

• Add in time allocations for every section (intro, tasks, reflections, wrap-up, etc.)

• Highlight must-have questions so if you are running short on time you know which ones you have to tackle

• In your intro… Confirm all must-have recruiting criteria to help mitigate participant fraud. Ask your core screener questions as open questions, then cross reference their verbal responses to their screener responses. If they don’t match, cancel.

• In your intro… Confirm they joining from the right type of device (if important) at the beginning of the session. If not, they need to switch their device, reschedule or cancel.

• In your intro… Confirm the time allotted for the session. If they are not available for the full session time, ascertain whether to simply cover the most important questions, reschedule or cancel.

• Reread every question and note if it's an open or closed question. "Can, do, did, are, is, and were" are all closed questions. If you are seeking a response other than a one-word answer revise it to an open-ended question that begins with "Who, what, where, when, why, or how"

• Repeat back what you think you heard about the most important takeaways and ask for confirmation or clarification. Create a "wrap-up" of sorts to summarize the session

• Do not provide details for something that will happen much later in the session. This takes up precious time, participants won't remember, and repeating things too often can feel intimidating or preachy

• Check that all of your questions align with the study goals and objectives by mapping the questions to each goal in a chart format

• Pilot

• Pilot

• Pilot

This week our Ask Like A Pro All-In students are finalizing their guides and piloting them. They begin their actual data-gathering sessions on Friday. Go get em David Hill Ankita Ghosh, Ph.D. Nina Walker, Ph.D. Jonathan Bryant Faith Eno Olga Parshina, PhD Aesclinn Donohue Franklin Wagner!!!!