I created this template to help PMs, designers, and researchers execute effective user journey interviews quickly. This is just one step of a 

that walks through how to create user journeys that drive action and alignment.

If you have other sources of data like sales calls, customer support, professional service calls, Intercom, Pendo, etc. you're starting with a wealth of information. You don't need to do hundreds of interviews to get enough data for a user journey. About 10 interviews per persona should be plenty.

With existing customers, it's really easy to find data on what they complain about or hate. But with these interviews, I want to focus on their goals rather than pain points. Pain points give us a checklist, not a user journey.

Amber Rucker

I created this template to help PMs and researchers get the right insights quickly when creating user journeys.

What are we trying to learn from this interview?

What info do we know before going into this that we are using to influence what we are asking? What are the assumptions we are making?

Try to group questions into relevant spaces. Usually the interviewee will end up answering them in a more conversational manner but they will be there to make sure you get to them or if you need prompts. Examples are background questions, role (persona), goals, behaviors, and then get specific. Take some shorthand notes as you go and you can review the recording later.

Overall there are some typical questions that are helpful for getting background like questions about roles and expectations. I’ll leave these here as samples.

Are there any other tools in the space you like right now? Whether you’re using them or not.

Do you think there’s anything x type of software commonly misses the mark on when making tools for your role?

Could you tell me what being a [ROLE] means to you?

I’m sure there's a lot of pressure with your role. Where do those pressures come from?

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

What are the main goals of your week? (Why are they goals)

What do you need to successfully complete those goals?

What makes it difficult for you to succeed?

What do you need to successfully complete those tasks?

If [PRODUCT] worked like magic, what would it do?

Do you have any thoughts, feelings or suggestions for [PRODUCT] you want to share?

Ask any questions that were left in the chat or from any moderators (moderators should feel free to write questions INTO THIS SECTION OF THE DOC), ask any clarifying questions, anything you want to dive back into a little, questions about how the interview process went even.

[Ok fantastic. So now we’re done with all my prepared questions. I just have a little follow-up on some things.]

[Thank you so much [NAME] for your time and so much great information. I will be in touch when we complete this project so you can see what you’ve contributed to. Do you mind if we contact you again if we end up with some additional questions? Thank you so much!]

User Journey Interview Template from Amber Rucker

User Journey Interview Template

What are we trying to learn from this interview?

What do we already know?

Question Bucket/Theme One

Sign up to see more