① Start here (what you want to learn ...
② The 5 people you talk to (no names,...
④ Person A's notes (30 minutes on the...
⑤ Person B's notes (30 minutes)
⑥ Person C's notes (30 minutes)
⑦ Person D's notes (copy this frame f...
⑧ Comparison table of the 5 people (o...
⑩ Top 3 pain points (from the heading...
⑪ Why you narrowed it down, and minor...
⑫ What to build or fix next (decide f...
⑬ Who to ask next
⑭ Questions to fix
⑮ New things to ask
⑯ First step (write just one thing to...
User Interview Bo...
How to use (4 pag...
What to build or ...
Decisions, questi...
Pain points, stuc...
Quotes, actions, ...
1/4
Set up people and...
Ctrl+F / ⌘F : 2/4...
→ 2/4
2/4
Capture each pers...
↙ 3/4
What I want to learn e.g. At what moments did people who started a budgeting app stop using it? What I want to decide e.g. Narrow down what to build or fix in the next month to three items Interviewer and note-taker Interviewer: ____ / Note-taker: ____ e.g. If you interview alone, record the talk and transcribe it l ater (get permission first) Who they are (cri...
Day and method
Person A
e.g. 30s, quit a budgeting app in 3 days e.g. Oct 20, 8 p.m., online for 30 min Person B
e.g. 40s, has kept a paper household ledger for 2 years e.g. Oct 21, noon, at a cafe for 30 min Person C
e.g. 20s, lives alone and has never kept a budget e.g. Oct 22, 9 p.m., online for 30 min Person D
e.g. 30s, couple who send each other receipt photos e.g. Oct 25, 10 a.m., online for 30 min Person E
e.g. 50s, only checks spending in a bank app e.g. Oct 26, 3 p.m., by phone for 30 min ③ Question guide ...
Good questions (ask about past behav ior) e.g. When did you last record your spending? What did you do then? e.g. What happened right before the day you stopped? e.g. What do you use to manage money now? Could you show me the screen? Questions to avoid (asking for futur e wishes) e.g. "Would you use it if it had ...?" → ask "When did you last ...?" instead e.g. "How much would you pay?" → ask "What do you pay for today?" instead e.g. "This app is handy, right?" → it leads the answer, so do not ask Said: e.g. "Once receipts pile up, I lose t he will to enter them" Said: e.g. "At month end the balance was of f and I got fed up" Did: e.g. Kept receipts in a wallet and ent ered them all on the weekend Surprised: e.g. Had turned off every app no tification Said: e.g. "I limit myself to 5 minutes a d ay" Said: e.g. "The app has too many fields" Did: e.g. Looks at receipts before bed and writes them on paper by hand Surprised: e.g. Writes food in detail and l umps everything else together Said: e.g. "I have no idea what to write fi rst" Said: e.g. "I only need to see my balance" Did: e.g. Checks only the balance in the ba nk app on payday Surprised: e.g. Twice installed a budgeting app and deleted it unopened Said: e.g. "I lose track of who paid" Said: e.g. "Just sending photos to each oth er is all we can manage" Did: e.g. Send receipt photos to each other in chat Surprised: e.g. Spend 30 minutes together e very month end recalculating Situation (when a...
Workaround so far
Moment of trouble
Person A
e.g. Weekend, entering everything at home e.g. Keeps receipts in a wallet e.g. Balance was off at month end Person B
e.g. Every night at a desk before bed e.g. Limited to 5 minutes a day e.g. Tried the app and found too many fields Person C
e.g. Payday, on a phone e.g. Looks only at the balance e.g. Opened the app and had no idea what to write first Person D
e.g. After shopping, in the couple's chat e.g. Send receipt photos to each other e.g. Lost track of who paid Person E
e.g. Weekend, in the bank app e.g. Put all payments on one card e.g. Lost track of what was paid in cash 3/4
Group notes, pick...
→ 4/4
4/4
Plan what to buil...
⑨ Group similar n...
Group 1 (name it after grouping) e.g. A "Once receipts pile up, I lose the will to enter them" e.g. D "Just sending photos to each other is all we can manage" Heading, written last: e.g. Stops when ent ries pile up Group 2 (name it after grouping) e.g. A "At month end the balance was off a nd I got fed up" e.g. E Lost track of what was paid in cash Heading, written last: e.g. Numbers do not match, so they give up Group 3 (name it after grouping) e.g. B "The app has too many fields" e.g. C "I have no idea what to write first " Heading, written last: e.g. Cannot decide what to write Group 4 (name it after grouping) e.g. C "I only need to see my balance" e.g. B Writes food in detail and lumps the rest together Heading, written last: e.g. Only a few num bers matter Pain point (group...
People (out of 5)
Representative quote
Pain 1
e.g. Numbers do not match, so they give up e.g. 2 people (A, E) e.g. A "At month end the balance was off and I got fed up " Pain 2
e.g. Stops when entries pile up e.g. 2 people (A, D) e.g. A "Once receipts pile up, I lose the will to enter t hem" Pain 3
e.g. Cannot decide what to write e.g. 2 people (B, C) e.g. C "I have no idea what to write first" Why we narrowed it down e.g. Chose pain points raised by 2 or more of the 5 that the app itself can fix Minority voices worth keeping (heard from only 1 or 2 people) e.g. Group 4, Person C: "I only need to see my balance" (B and C , 2 people). It shows how people who do not keep a budget use an app, so ask again next time Not covered this time e.g. Splitting bills between a couple (only Person D). Next time , add more couples to check What to build or fix
Owner
Deadline
How to check
From pain 1
e.g. Add a field to enter only the gap whe n the balance is off Owner: ____ e.g. Nov 15 e.g. Compare the time spent balancing at m onth end with before From pain 2
e.g. Let people enter entries later just b y taking a receipt photo Owner: ____ e.g. Nov 22 e.g. Have 3 people try it and see if they last a week From pain 3
e.g. Start with just two items, Food and O ther Owner: ____ e.g. Nov 29 e.g. Ask 2 first-time users to enter one i tem with no explanation Skip for now
e.g. Features for couples Owner: ____ e.g. Decide after the next interviews e.g. Decide after asking 2 or more couples e.g. 2 more people who have never kept a budget e.g. 2 people who manage household money as a couple e.g. The 3 people who tried what you built in ⑫ Write each condition as someone who has done something e.g. "Are notifications useful?" → "When did you last turn off a notification?" e.g. "Is entering data a hassle?" → "How long did it take the last time you entered something?" List the questions whose answer was just "maybe" this time Add the fixed questions to the question guide in ③ too e.g. What do people who only check the balance look at to feel safe e.g. How do people remember what they paid in cash e.g. Do other people share the minority voice from ⑪ Ask no more than 3 new things per interview What to do tomorrow e.g. Sketch a draft screen for entering later from a receipt pho to Owner and deadline Owner: ____ / Deadline: ____ Track progress on the task board Date of the next interview e.g. Nov 30. Ask the people from ⑬ using the fixed questions fro m ⑭ → 2/4
Capture each pers...
↙ 3/4
Group notes, pick...
→ 4/4
Plan what to buil...
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