User Interview Script Template for User Research

Plan for 5-8 interviews per research question. [Nielsen Norman Group's research](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/) shows that 5 participants uncover roughly 80% of usability issues in testing. For broader discovery work, 8 interviews give you enough pattern recognition to act with confidence. If you are hearing new insights on interview 8, keep going. If interviews 5-7 all repeat the same themes, you have likely reached saturation.

Only in Phase 4 (Solution Exploration), and only if you have a specific concept to test. Never show a prototype before you have explored the problem space. Once a participant sees a solution, their thinking anchors to it and you lose the ability to understand their unbiased mental model. If you do show a prototype, frame it as "rough thinking" and ask for honest reactions. Use the [Product Discovery Handbook](/discovery-guide) for detailed guidance on when and how to run prototype tests.

Use the Silence technique first. Most people will elaborate if you give them space. If silence does not work, try the Timeline technique: "Walk me through the last time that happened, step by step." Asking for a specific story is more effective than asking for an opinion. If a participant consistently gives one-word answers after 10 minutes, they may not be the right fit for this study. Thank them and move on.

Both. Record with consent so you can review exact quotes later. Have a note-taker capture key moments, body language cues, and emotional reactions that audio alone misses. If you are alone, use the recording as your primary source and fill in the debrief sheet from memory and the recording immediately after.

The [Customer Interview Template](/templates/customer-interview-template) provides a question bank organized by research goal (discovery, validation, jobs-to-be-done). This template provides a complete, time-boxed script with phase transitions, probing techniques, and a post-interview debrief sheet. Use the Customer Interview Template when you want to pick and choose questions. Use this script when you want a structured, end-to-end interview guide you can hand to any PM on your team. ---