My Go-To Questions in User Interviews

As a UX Lead working in compliance-heavy digital products like KYC and document signing, my goal in user interviews is to cut through assumptions and uncover how people actually work. Over time, I’ve landed on a set of core questions that consistently reveal useful insights, about pain points, behaviours, and expectations.

Here’s a breakdown of what I ask and why.

1. Understand the Workflow

Get a clear map of what’s happening today—tools, steps, gaps.

• “Can you walk me through the last time you [did X]?”

• “What does your current process look like from start to finish?”

• “When in your day do you usually do this?”

• “Who else is involved?”

These surface real-world constraints, workarounds, and dependencies. Much more useful than asking what users think they do.

2. Find the Friction

Zero in on blockers, annoyances, and invisible pain.

• “What’s the most frustrating part of this?”

• “Where do mistakes usually happen?”

• “Have you ever had to ‘hack’ your way through something?”

These help pinpoint areas ripe for simplification or support.

3. Explore Trust + Confidence

Understand how users know when they’re doing it right.

• “How do you know when it’s done properly?”

• “What would make you feel more confident here?”

• “Have you ever had to double-check something?”

Especially important for regulated flows, where users fear getting it wrong.

4. Anchor to Expectations

Find the user’s mental benchmark.

• “Have you used anything like this before?”

• “How does this compare to what you expected?”

These give you context for how your product is judged, fairly or not.

5. Test Early Concepts (If You Have Them)

Don’t ask if they “like it” watch how they make sense of it.

• “What do you think this is for?”

• “What would you click on first?”

• “How would you explain this to a colleague?”

Clarity beats cleverness every time.

6. Leave Room for the Unexpected

Catch what you didn’t think to ask.

• “What’s one thing you’d change if you could?”

• “Is there anything I didn’t ask that I should’ve?”

These often surface blind spots you wouldn’t have reached on your own.

Final Word

None of this is magic, it’s just about asking plainly and listening closely. Great questions keep you out of the echo chamber and grounded in what actually matters to users.