User interview questions template

Why most interview guides waste your time

You're spending 2-3 hours before every user interview, scrambling to write questions that actually get people talking.

You need interview questions that:

✓ Are organized by research stage (discovery, validation, usability)
✓ Include smart follow-up prompts
✓ Adapt to different user types (UX/UXR, CX, Product)
✓ Actually uncover insights, not surface-level answers

Most guides give you generic questions like "Tell me about yourself" without explaining when to use them or how to follow up.

That's why we created this template.

Get 5 ready-to-use interview scripts

Discovery Interview (30 min)
Perfect for understanding user behaviors, needs, and pain points at the start of any project.

Validation Interview (20 min)
Test your assumptions and validate ideas before building anything.

Usability Interview (45 min)
Combine task-based testing with contextual questions about user experience.

Problem-Solution Interview (30 min)
Deeply understand a specific problem before designing your solution.

Follow-Up Interview (15 min)
Quick check-ins to validate findings or explore new topics that emerged.

Quick preview: question categories

1. Discovery questions

"Walk me through a typical day in your role as [their role]..."
Why this works: Gets concrete details about their workflow, not generic descriptions.

"Tell me about the last time you needed to [relevant task]..."
Why this works: Specific recent memories are more accurate than "usually I do this."

"What are your main goals when it comes to [topic]?"
Why this works: Reveals what they care about, not what you think they should care about.

2. Task & behavior questions

"How do you currently accomplish [specific task]?"
Why this works: Shows their actual process, workarounds, and tools they use.

"What's the first thing you do when you need to [task]?"
Why this works: Reveals mental models and decision-making patterns.

3. Pain point questions

"What's the most frustrating part about [process]?"
Why this works: Uncovers problems they've learned to live with but would love solved.

"Tell me about a time when [process] didn't work as expected..."
Why this works: Gets specific failure stories that reveal real issues.

"How do you currently work around [problem]?"
Why this works: Shows how badly they need a solution and what they've tried.

4. Follow-up question framework

The Clarification: "What do you mean by [their words]?"
The Why: "Why is that important to you?"
The Example: "Can you give me a specific example?"
The Silence: [Wait 3-5 seconds. They'll add more.]

What's inside your free template

📋 50+ pre-written questions

Organized by:

• Research stage (discovery, validation, usability testing)
• Question type (behavioral, attitudinal, task-based, pain points)
• User persona (UX/UXR, CX, Product teams, All)
• When to use each question

🎯 Smart follow-up frameworks

• The 5 Whys technique
• Clarification prompts
• Silence strategies
• Example requests
• Feeling probes

📝 5 interview script templates

• Complete intro/outro scripts
• Transition phrases between sections
• Timing recommendations
• Question sequencing logic

🗒️ Interview notes template

• Structured format for capturing responses
• Quote highlighting system
• Pattern identification prompts
• Action item tracking

✅ Best practices checklist

• Pre-interview preparation steps
• During-interview dos and don'ts
• Post-interview analysis framework
• Common mistakes to avoid

🎓 Bonus resources

• Recommended reading list
• Video tutorial on using the template
• Link to our complete UX research guide

How to use this template

Step 1: Choose your research Goal
Select from discovery, validation, or usability testing mode. Each has a pre-built question set.

Step 2: Customize your questions
Pick 8-12 questions that fit your specific study. We recommend which ones based on your goal.

Step 3: Prepare your follow-ups
Review our follow-up framework so you can dig deeper when users share insights.

Step 4: Run your interview
Use the template during your session. Take notes directly in Notion or export to your tool.

Step 5: Analyze your findings
Use our notes template to organize insights and identify patterns across interviews.

Works with: Notion (our template), Google Docs, Airtable, Dovetail, or your research tool of choice.

The complete question bank

Discovery & background questions

Understanding their role

• "Walk me through a typical day in your role..."
• "Tell me about your relationship to [topic/product]..."
• "What are your main responsibilities when it comes to [topic]?"
• "How long have you been doing [role/task]?"

Understanding their process

• "Tell me about the last time you needed to [relevant task]..."
• "How do you currently accomplish [specific task]?"
• "What's the first thing you do when you need to [task]?"
• "Walk me through your process for [activity]..."

Understanding their goals

• "What are your main goals when it comes to [topic]?"
• "What does success look like for you in [context]?"
• "What are you trying to achieve when you [task]?"

Task-based questions

Current workflows

• "Show me how you currently do [task]..."
• "What tools do you use for [task]?"
• "How often do you need to do [task]?"
• "What information do you need to complete [task]?"

Decision-making

• "What factors do you consider when [making decision]?"
• "How do you decide between [option A] and [option B]?"
• "What would make you choose [specific option]?"

Collaboration

• "Who else is involved in this process?"
• "How do you communicate about [topic] with your team?"
• "What information do you need to share with others?"

Pain point & problem questions

Identifying frustrations

• "What's the most frustrating part about [process]?"
• "What takes the longest time in your workflow?"
• "What do you wish was easier about [task]?"
• "Tell me about a time when [process] didn't work as expected..."

Understanding workarounds

• "How do you currently work around [problem]?"
• "What have you tried to solve this issue?"
• "What would you do if [tool/feature] wasn't available?"

Impact assessment

• "How does [problem] affect your work?"
• "What happens when [issue] occurs?"
• "How often does this problem come up?"

Opinion & attitude questions

Perceptions

• "What do you think about [topic/feature]?"
• "How do you feel about [process/tool]?"
• "What's your impression of [product/service]?"

Preferences

• "What do you like most about [current solution]?"
• "What would you change about [current process]?"
• "If you had a magic wand, what would you fix first?"

Comparisons

• "How does this compare to [alternative]?"
• "What makes [option A] better or worse than [option B]?"
• "Have you used anything else for this purpose?"

Behavioral questions

Past experiences

• "Tell me about a recent experience with [product/process]..."
• "Describe the most memorable time you [did task]..."
• "What was the last [relevant activity] you completed?"

Frequency & patterns

• "How often do you [activity]?"
• "When do you typically [task]?"
• "What triggers you to [action]?"

Context

• "Where do you usually [task]?"
• "What device do you use for [activity]?"
• "Who are you with when you [task]?"

Closing questions

Uncovering missed topics

• "What haven't I asked you about that you think is important?"
• "Is there anything else you'd like to share about [topic]?"
• "What questions do you have for me?"

Next steps

• "Can I contact you if I have follow-up questions?"
• "Would you be interested in seeing what we build based on this feedback?"
• "Do you know anyone else who might want to participate?"

Master the follow-up

Good interviews aren't just about asking prepared questions. The magic happens in the follow-ups.

The clarification follow-up

When to use: They used jargon, vague language, or assumed you understood context.

• "What do you mean by [their words]?"
• "Can you elaborate on that?"
• "Help me understand [specific thing]..."
• "When you say [their term], what does that include?"

The why follow-up

When to use: You want to understand motivations, not just behaviors.

• "Why is that important to you?"
• "What's the reason for that?"
• "Why do you do it that way?"
• "What makes [thing] valuable to you?"

The example follow-up

When to use: They're speaking generally. You need specifics.

• "Can you give me a specific example?"
• "Walk me through the last time that happened..."
• "Show me how you do that..."
• "Tell me about a recent time when [situation]..."

The feeling follow-up

When to use: You want emotional context, not just facts.

• "How did that make you feel?"
• "What was your reaction when [event]?"
• "How do you feel about [topic]?"
• "What was going through your mind when [situation]?"

The silence follow-up

When to use: Always. After they finish answering.

What to do: Count to 5 in your head (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi...). Don't fill the silence.

Why it works: People often add their best insights after a pause. They're collecting thoughts or deciding whether to share something vulnerable.

The comparison follow-up

When to use: They mentioned alternatives or previous experiences.

• "How does that compare to [alternative]?"
• "What's the difference between [A] and [B]?"
• "Why did you choose this over [other option]?"

Common interview mistakes

Mistake #1: Leading questions

Bad: "Don't you think this feature is confusing?"
Good: "How did you feel about this feature?"
Why: Leading questions bias the response. You get what you suggested, not what they think.

Mistake #2: Yes/No questions

Bad: "Do you use this tool?"
Good: "Tell me about your experience with this tool..."
Why: Yes/no questions kill the conversation. Open questions get stories and context.

Mistake #3: Asking about the future

Bad: "Would you use this feature?"
Good: "Tell me about the last time you needed something like this..."
Why: People are terrible at predicting their future behavior. Past behavior is more reliable.

Mistake #4: Multiple questions at once

Bad: "How do you do this task and what tools do you use and who else is involved?"
Good: "How do you currently do this task?" [Wait for answer] "What tools do you use?" [Wait for answer]
Why: People forget parts of multi-part questions. Ask one thing at a time.

Mistake #5: Interrupting

Bad: User starts to answer → You jump in with clarification
Good: User starts to answer → You listen completely → You ask follow-up
Why: Interrupting breaks their train of thought and makes them feel unheard.

Mistake #6: Asking "why" too aggressively

Bad: "Why?" [They answer] "But why?" [They answer] "But WHY?"
Good: "Why is that?" [They answer] "What makes that important to you?" [Softer language]
Why: Repeated "why" feels like interrogation. Vary your follow-up phrasing.

Ready to run better interviews?

Stop spending hours preparing interview questions. Get our complete template with:

- 50+ questions organized by research stage
- 5 ready-to-use interview scripts
- Follow-up question frameworks
- Interview notes template
- Best practices checklist

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Frequently asked questions

Q: What format is the template?
A: It's a Notion template you can duplicate to your workspace. Works with free Notion accounts. We also include a Google Docs version.

Q: Can I customize the questions?
A: Absolutely! The template is fully editable. Add your own questions, remove ones you don't need, reorganize sections.

Q: Do I need Notion?
A: No. While it's built for Notion, you can copy the content to Google Docs, Word, Airtable, or any tool you prefer.

Q: Is this really free?
A: Yes! No hidden costs, no credit card required. We create free resources to help the UX community.

Q: Can I share this with my team?
A: Yes! Share the template with your team, colleagues, or anyone who would benefit.

Q: Will you spam me?
A: No. You'll get the template immediately, plus occasional emails with UX research tips. Unsubscribe anytime.

Q: What if I'm new to user interviews?
A: Perfect! The template includes explanations for when to use each question type and common mistakes to avoid.

What researchers are saying

"This template saved me 3+ hours on my last study. The follow-up frameworks are gold."
— Sarah K., UX Researcher at TechCorp

"Finally, interview questions organized by actual research goals. Game-changer."
— Michael R., Product Designer

"The Notion template is beautifully organized. I use it for every interview now."
— Jennifer L., CX Researcher

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