Collective 2016 – Talk to the People: Customer Interviews for Content Strategists

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Transcript of Collective 2016 – Talk to the People: Customer Interviews for Content Strategists

Customer interviews for content strategists

Kerry-Anne Gilowey Collective · Atlanta GA · 10 June 2016

Talk to the People

@kerry_anne

Why interviews?

Hi! I’m Elizabeth. I use your product.

Uh… hi! Can anyone

hear me?

IS THIS THING ON?!

The voice of the customer.

WHAT INFORMATION DO THEY NEED?

WHAT’S THEIR CONTEXT?

HOW DO THEY SEE THE WORLD?

SURVEYS?

Can’t we just use

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebees/

Sure we can!

It was gr8! |

Question 13: Tell us about your experience with Snuggle Blankies.

Sure we can!

It was okay. Please call me to let me know how much I still owe on my account. Tonight would be fine after 7pm. |

Question 13: Tell us about your experience with Snuggle Blankies.

Sure we can!

The saleslady Anita was very friendly. But I got a better deal at Blankies R Us. |

Question 13: Tell us about your experience with Snuggle Blankies.

Non-verbal cues are valuable.

Crouching customer,

hidden needs.

MUCH LIKE THIS VEHICLE, SMARTS AND ASSUMPTIONS WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR.

Interviews for content?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

Interviews can help us to…

• Shape our content to support the user journey

The user journey

Interviews can help us to…

• Shape our content to support the user journey

• Know what information to include

Key messages

Content types

Instructional content

What information?

Interviews can help us to…

• Shape our content to support the user journey

• Know what information to include

• Decide how to deliver and present that information

Delivery and presentation

Delivery and presentation

Tone

Delivery and presentation

Tone

Terminology

Delivery and presentation

Tone

Terminology

Channels

Delivery and presentation

Tone

Terminology

Channels

Format

Planning and preparation

HOW MANY INTERVIEWS?

GO TO THEM.

They may be working

under difficult circumstances

Or surprisingly easy ones.

USE PROPS.

PERHAPS MORE LIKE THESE.

PACE YOURSELF!

THINK CAREFULLY

ABOUT RECORDING.

SET EXPECTATIONS.

Interviewing basics

50% 50%

Empathy Objectivity

BE WARM. CONNECT.

IT’S NOT A SCIENCE

EXPERIMENT.

MAKE SMALL TALK.

“The more confident you are at talking to different types of people, the better you’ll be at research interviews and truly listening to what people have to say. If small talk isn’t your strong point, maybe it’s an excuse to go to more parties - for research purposes, of course.”

– Cennydd Bowles and James Box (p.29, Undercover User Experience Design)

“NO, REALLY, I’M DOING RESEARCH.”

START WITH A CUP OF TEA

AND A COOKIE.

EXPLAIN THE FINE PRINT.

LISTEN.

Original image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seantubridy/

DON’T INTERRUPT.

... and I mean, I like the blankies and all, but I just

wonder if they couldn’t be a bit bigger. Sometimes I find that my

toes stick out at the bottom and --

Hot today, isn’t it?

BE AWARE OF YOUR BODY LANGUAGE.

MIRROR THEIR FEELINGS.

GET COMFORTABLE WITH SILENCE.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, ASK, ASK,

AND ASK AGAIN.

DON’T SHY AWAY FROM

HUMOUR.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/

Questions to ask

2+2=?

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOB.

MARRIED? CHILDREN? PETS?

HERPTY DERPTY DERP?

NOT SO FAST, LITTLE BUDDY.

IF XYZ, THEN WHAT?

WHO INFLUENCES THEM?

Your customer

Mother-in-law

People on Twitter

Best friend

Facebook friends

Newspapers

Colleagues

Spouse

DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO OFF SCRIPT.

KEEP ASKING WHY.Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidrn/

Sample questions How did you first hear about Snuggle Blankies?

Did you try any other similar companies, like Blankies R Us or Blankie Hut?

What are the most important things you need from Snuggle Blankies?

Have you ever had to call 0800-SNUGGLE?

What was the worst thing about your experience with Snuggle Blankies?

What was the best part of your Snuggle Blankies experience?

Was there anything you found confusing?

Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

Sample questions How did you first hear about Snuggle Blankies?

Did you try any other similar companies, like Blankies R Us or Blankie Hut?

What are the most important things you need from Snuggle Blankies?

Have you ever had to call 0800-SNUGGLE?

What was the worst thing about your experience with Snuggle Blankies?

What was the best part of your Snuggle Blankies experience?

Was there anything you found confusing?

Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

Sample questions How did you first hear about Snuggle Blankies?

Did you try any other similar companies, like Blankies R Us or Blankie Hut?

What are the most important things you need from Snuggle Blankies?

Have you ever had to call 0800-SNUGGLE?

What was the worst thing about your experience with Snuggle Blankies?

What was the best part of your Snuggle Blankies experience?

Was there anything you found confusing?

Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

Difficult situations

1. THE QUIET ONES

So hey, how was your day at

school?

Fine.

2. THOSE WHO WON’T OPEN UP TO YOU

“IF I ASKED YOU TO NAME ONE

THING YOU DIDN’T LIKE,

WHAT WOULD THAT BE?”

3. THORNY TOPICS

CHANNEL YOUR INNER

DOCTOR

4. THE UNEXPECTED

5. VERY ANXIOUS

PARTICIPANTS

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/

STAY CALM YOURSELF

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenjavier/

What to listen for

I want a faster horse,

please.

READ

“OBVIOUSLY...”

Obviously you’re just a small, hairless cat.

Obviously the blankets aren’t big

enough for me because I’m very tall and have

extra-long toes.

Obviously all blankets are

basically the same.

What words do they prefer?

blanket vs blankie

warm vs snug

mail vs post

shipping vs delivery

What type of language

do they relate to?

What type of language

do they relate to?

I like a really comfy, schnuggly-wuggly

blankie.

What type of language

do they relate to?

I have a preference for deep pile

microfleece bedding material.

WHAT ARE THE STORIES THEY’RE TELLING THEMSELVES?

Blankie feels a bit

weird.

WHAT ARE THE STORIES THEY’RE TELLING THEMSELVES?

Blankie feels a bit

weird.

I’m probably just the wrong

shape for blankies.

WHAT ARE THE STORIES THEY’RE TELLING THEMSELVES?

Patterns and trends

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM?

Blah blah blah SOFT blah blah

FLUFFY blah blah SOFT blah blah

blah WARM blah

blah SOFT blah blah.

HOW DO YOU FIT INTO THEIR WORLD?

HOW DOES YOUR CONTENT MAKE THEM FEEL?

WHAT ARE THEIR

QUESTIONS?

HOW DO THEY SEE THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR

ORGANISATION?

HOW DO THEY SEE THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR

ORGANISATION?

Artifacts and action steps

MAKE NEW PERSONAS

REFLECT THEIR WORLDVIEW

MAP THEIR JOURNEY

CHOOSE YOUR CHANNELS

Twitter

Blog

SMSFacebook

EmailFace to face

Call centre

Snail mail

Print

WRITE VOICE AND TONE GUIDELINES

MAKE TERM LISTS

CORRECT INCORRECT

blankie blanket

snug warm

mail post

shipping delivery

USE SPECIFIC, REAL QUOTES WITH STAKEHOLDERS

“I want to throw my phone out of the window when I try to order a blankie on your site. I can’t see the buttons properly, and the boxes are too small to type in!”

– Elizabeth, customer for four years

PLAN YOUR CONTENT

ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS

The statement

“I’m a bit worried

about ordering a

Snuggle Blankie

online because I

might not like it

when it arrives.”

The underlying question

What happens if I

don’t like my

blankie when it

arrives?

The result

Can I return my blankie if

I don’t like it?

Yes, absolutely. Just put it

in the envelope provided

and you can return it to us

free of charge. We will

refund you, or you can

choose another blankie.

Thanks for listening!

Kerry-Anne Gilowey kerryanne@augustsun.co.za http://augustsun.co.za

@kerry_anne