Partner Engagement II Claire Sigworth and Kelsey Welch

Partner Engagement II Claire Sigworth and Kelsey Welch

Interviews with Users ● Better to ask questions than make assumptions ○ Don’t be afraid to ask! ● Communication is a two-way street ○ Frequent communication throughout the entire design process is key ● Reasons to ask questions: ○ Project identification ○ Needs assessment ○ Feedback on prototypes or potential solutions

Guides for a Smooth Interview ● Prepare a list of questions in advance ● Start broad ● Ask open ended questions ○ If you have to ask a yes/no question, rephrase the question or ask your participant/user/partner to explain further ● You are the designer/engineer, your user is the expert ● Document the interview with consent ○ Record it (audio/visual); take notes or have a trusted peer take notes

Preparing for an Interview - Questions to ask yourself ● Have I thoroughly researched the available materials for information? ● What do I want to learn in the interview? ● Through what medium will I be conducting the interview? ● How will I word the questions I want to ask? ○ How can I phrase questions to not get a Yes/No answer ○ How can I be culturally sensitive? ● Am I prepared to answer the interviewee’s questions?

Rephrasing Questions ● “What problems or difficulties did you have using this product/service/etc. ” ○ Instead: “How can this product/service/etc. be improved? Do you see any flaws? ” ● “Is there a structure in place that can sustain this project long term? ” ○ Instead: “Thinking of this project’s sustainability in the future, what tools do you have as an organization to maintain this project after it is no longer an EPICS project? ” ● “Do you get handouts from any other organizations? ” ○ Instead: “Do you anticipate having additional partners who might be

Activity Get in groups of two and take turns interviewing each other with the following questions. Do not veer from the script. The goal of these questions is to learn more about life satisfaction within a particular community. 1. Is this the dreariest time of your life? 2. As you look back on your life, are you fairly well satisfied? 3. In spite of what people say, do you feel the lot of the average man or woman is getting worse, not better? 4. Have you gotten pretty much what you expected out of life?

Activity ● How did your interviews go? ● Did you find out more about life satisfaction using these questions? What more might you want to know? ● Did you find any flaws with these questions?

Activity ● Get back into groups and discuss how you would rephrase or change the questions to get better information from your interviewee about life satisfaction ● Ask open ended questions ● How would you change the questions? ○ Is this the dreariest time of your life? ○ As you look back on your life, are you fairly well satisfied? ○ In spite of what people say, do you feel the lot of the average man or woman is getting worse, not better?

Activity ● Find a new partner to ask the revised questions to ● Go off script this time ● Encourage interviewee to elaborate, and prompt them to do so with follow-up questions

Activity ● How did your interviews go? How was it different from your last interview? ● Did you find out more about life satisfaction using these questions? ● How were these questions better? ● How did you rephrase them?

Application ● Think about what you’ve learned in relation to your own EPICS project ● Identify what information you are currently seeking about your project ● Keep in mind the medium in which you communicate with your partner ● Come up with two or three questions you could ask your project partner using the tips and suggestions we have outlined