User Interview
A UX research technique during which a researcher asks one user questions about a particular topic in order to gain insights.
Steps
Define the goal of the interview
What exactly are you hoping to learn? Or what are you trying to understand better? Ensure you collect valuable information for your design by making the goal concise and related to a specific aspect of the users' behavior or attitudes.
Prepare your discussion guide
Be sure to prepare questions beforehand that focus around the goal of the interview. Don't be afraid to ask relevant follow-up questions based on the participant's responses. A natural, free-flowing conversation can lead to unexpected, fruitful insights. A general guide of themes to discuss can sometimes be more useful than a list of rigid questions.
Build rapport with the interviewee
Ask them if they've done anything like this before. Reassure them it's no big deal and you'll just be having a chat. People are more likely to open up and provide valuable information once they are relaxed and trust the interviewer.
Avoid leading questions
Don't ask closed questions that are answerable with a 'yes' or 'no', or questions that are too vague to get specific and valuable responses. The goals is to elicit rich, unbiased answers from the interviewee. Open questions start with 'what', 'how', 'when' – or 'tell me about X'.