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¶ The Five Act interview
¶ What it is
The 5-Act Interview is a structured approach to conducting customer testing in 5 phases:
- Introduction
- Context questions
- Introduction to the prototype
- Tasks
- Outro
¶ Why it is useful
The Five Act Interview allows you to learn about the interview background, reveal hidden problems with your new solution, and uncover the “whys” behind it. In addition, the structure supports you in developing a deep understanding of the customer's experience with the prototype.
¶ When to use it
Use the Five Act interview to conduct a customer test. The tool ensures that you capture the feedback about your prototype and essential background information about the customer.
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¶ How is it done
Write an interview script and conduct an interview based on the following 5 steps:
- Introduction: Build rapport with the customer by starting with a friendly welcome. Explain the purpose and structure of the interview and encourage the customer to engage.
- Context questions: Ask a series of general, open-ended context questions about the customer and his background. You can start with questions about the customer’s occupation, industry experience, etc.
- Introduction to the prototype: Introduce the prototype, but don't explain or justify it. Remind the customer to openly share thoughts and feedback.
- Tasks: Ask the customer to fulfil detailed tasks to get him to react to the prototype. Follow up about the customer's experience by asking, “What do you expect to happen?” or “What would you do next?"
- Outro: Run through a quick debrief to capture the customer’s overarching thoughts and impressions. Reiterate the insights generated during the interview and let the customer share final thoughts.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- To recruit new test customers, you can follow the Interview Screener.
- Make sure that the customers you select for the customer tests represent your persona.
- Have an observer take notes and ask for permission from the customer to audio/ video record the interview for you to revisit it.
- Ask “Why?” often - try to get to the root of a customer’s experience and why they like or don’t like something.
- Flip around questions - if a customer asks what happens next or what they are expected to do, ask, “What do you think?”
- Assure the customer that you didn’t design the prototype (even if you did) and that your feelings won’t get hurt if they voice criticism - they should speak honestly and openly.
- Give the customer enough time to think before following up.
Don't
- Do not explain, justify or defend the prototype during the customer test - you can analyse insights and improve it later!
¶ Tools needed
- Prototype
- Paper, pen (virtual), camera/ recording device
- Quiet room for uninterrupted testing
¶ Useful Tips
¶ Getting Useful Insights and Honest Feedback
The Customer Testing phase is the last step in the design thinking process, where your efforts come together. You can present a prototype of your concept and get customer feedback. Being open to any reaction and honest feedback is especially important to gain valuable insights and ensure your prototype is ready to be released in the real world.
Be a good host
Above all, make the customer feel comfortable and assure him that neither he nor his skills are tested - the prototype is! There is no right or wrong, and there are no stupid questions in customer testing. Be a good listener, show empathy, and focus on the customer when doing the testing.
Ask open-ended questions
Every customer is an individual and can perceive the experience in different ways. You can explore the customer's mind, thoughts, and emotions by asking open-ended questions. Open-ended questions will reveal underlying motivations or opinions the customer might have.
Ask broken questions
Consciously ask unfinished questions by starting without completing them, e.g., “So you mean..?” This way, you encourage the customer to speak more without influencing them, creating a bias, or implying a specific statement.
Don't influence
The prototype is tested to find out the customer's reactions and experience with it - the point is not to confirm that it works well! In the real world, the customer would experience the service without you, so try to hold back your comments, explanations, or justifications to let the customer think and react freely and without constraints. Your insights will become biased and not as helpful if you influence the customer’s thoughts or actions when fulfilling a task in any way. If you want to improve elements of your service, you can do it in iterations and then test the new version again.
¶ Remote vs. In-person Customer Testing
Consider whether you want to test your prototype in person or remotely via an online conference tool when planning your customer testing. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are similar to those of remote and in-person interviews. There are some things to consider specifically when doing customer testing interviews.
Remote customer testing
- Provide detailed instructions on the interview platform (e.g., Zoom link) and potential actions required by the customer (e.g., Login)
- Ensure you and the interviewee have the webcam switched during the interview to build rapport.
- If you are testing a screen prototype, send the customer a link to the wireframes/ click dummy. Ask the customer to share their screen so you can see what they see and follow their line of thinking (e.g., you can see his mouse or when they scroll).
In-person customer testing
- Provide detailed instructions about the interview location.
- Create an inviting atmosphere in the room. Make sure there is a seat for you and the customer and that they have enough private space. If you video record the customer test, observers could sit in a separate room or watch it later.
- If you are testing a screen prototype, prepare the device (laptop, tablet, or phone) in advance - the first wireframe should be shown when switching the device on. Make sure the device has enough battery to run through the test.
- Make sure you can see the screen and the customer's facial expressions from where you are sitting.