Crafting empathy interviews is an art, and a good interview will be a gift that keeps on giving. Let’s dive into using the Empathy Interview Planner to tackle uncertainties or challenges in your product development or go-to-market strategy.

1. Clarify Your Intention

Begin by defining your intention clearly. What aspect of your business do you want to delve deeper into? Identify an unsolved problem, a challenge, or an area where you need more insight from your prospects or customers. This intention will guide your entire interview process and help you focus your questions effectively. For example, understand why potential customers are not completing the checkout process on our e-commerce platform.

2. Reaching Your Prospects

Consider how you will connect with your target interviewees. Where can you find them, and what approach will you use to persuade them to participate in a 30-minute interview? This step is crucial for ensuring you can access the right people who can provide valuable insights into your identified challenge. Considering our previous example, you reach out to recent cart abandoners via personalized emails offering them a gift card in exchange for their feedback.

3. Identify Possible Themes

List down two to four overarching themes related to your intention that you want to explore during the interviews. These themes should encompass the main areas of inquiry that will help you gather relevant data and insights.

In our example, you can focus on following:

• User experience during checkout
• Perceived value versus price sensitivity
• Pain points in the payment process

4. Develop Interview Questions

Choose one theme to focus on initially and draft three to four open-ended questions that will elicit detailed responses from your interviewees. These questions should encourage participants to share stories, experiences, and perspectives related to the theme.

Building on our example, you can ask following:

• Can you walk me through the last time you tried to make a purchase on our website?
• What factors influenced your decision to abandon your cart during checkout?
• How did you feel about the overall checkout process, and were there any specific aspects that frustrated or pleased you?

By systematically filling out the Empathy Interview Planner, you transform uncertainties and challenges into structured interviews that yield actionable insights. This process not only helps validate assumptions but also uncovers nuanced details about your customers’ needs, preferences, and pain points. Through empathy-driven research, you’re equipped to make informed decisions that resonate with your target audience and drive meaningful improvements in your business strategy.