# General Event Planner Interview Script
#### Inspired by [Google's Five-Act Interview](https://library.gv.com/sprint-week-friday-7f66b4194137) ([video 1](https://youtu.be/U9ZG19XTbd4)) ([video 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQmBuKN10VY))

## Interviewer Tips
- Ask open-ended questions. Ask “Who/What/Where/When/Why/How?” questions. Don’t ask leading “yes/no” or multiple-choice questions. (p. 212)
- Ask broken questions. Allow your speech to trail off before you finish a question. Silence encourages the customer to talk without creating any bias. (p. 214)
- Curiosity mindset. Be authentically interested in your customer’s reactions and thoughts. (p. 215)
- Encourage the customer to talk while remaining neutral (say things like "uh-huh" and "mmm hmm," not "great!" and "good job!"). There's no need to take notes. This can be done by others or based on the recording after.

## Custom GigSalad Script
1. Friendly welcome. Welcome the customer and put him or her at ease. Explain that you’re looking for candid feedback. You're testing the design, not the person. Example:

> Thanks for talking today. When we're developing new designs and new ideas and things like that, we get to the point where it's really valuable to get some fresh eyes and some fresh perspective on it. And so that's how I need your help. We're always trying to improve our product and getting your honest feedback is a really important part of that.
>
> This interview will be pretty informal. I'll ask lots of questions, but I'm not testing you – I'm actually testing the design of the profile and the way our site works. If there's something you don't like about the way the site currently operates, that helps us find problems we need to fix.
>
> So... I'll start by asking some background questions and then I'll show you some things we're working on. Do you have any questions before we start?

2. Context questions. Start with easy small talk, then transition to questions about the topic you’re trying to learn about. Questions:

> - Tell me about the last time you hired someone online.
> - What did you like about how you went about hiring a service?
> - What were the biggest pain points in hiring a service?
> - What could be done to improve your experience with this process?
> - *If they’ve booked*: Can you walk me through the important things you remember looking at when you were deciding who to hire?
> - *If they haven’t booked*: When assessing a potential vendor, what would be the first thing you would look for?

3. Introduce the profile page. Remind the interviewee that you’re not testing them, but testing the design and functionality of the product. Ask the customer to think aloud.

> Alright. Would you be willing to look at some pages for us?
>
> Remember that there aren't any right or wrong answers. Since I didn't design this, you won't hurt my feelings or flatter me with your feedback. Actually... candid feedback is the most helpful to us.
>
> So as we go, please think out loud. Tell me what you're trying to do and how you think you can do it. If you get confused or don't understand something, please tell me. If you see things you like, tell me that, too.

4. Profile reactions. Watch the customer figure out the page on their own. Start with a simple nudge. Ask follow-up questions to help the user think aloud.

> First, let them peruse the page on their own. Let them click around and see what's on the page – what their options are, what they can do, etc. Then, after they've exhausted their own curiosity, start soliciting feedback of page. For instance:
> * What do you think of this results page?
> * What do you think of this profile page?
> - *This question is intentionally vague. Listen to whether they talk about **wanting to use the product** or **how it could be improved**.*
> * What grabs your attention when first looking at this profile?
> * Was there anything surprising or unexpected about this profile page?
> * Was there anything missing from this profile that you expected?
> * What’s most appealing to you about this profile page?
> * What could be done to improve this profile page?
> - What features do you wish the profile had?
> * What might prevent you from using this product?
> * What features do you wish the product had?
> * Would you keep using this product after what you saw today?
> * Does this remind you of any other products?

> As the user goes through the page, ask questions to help them think aloud if they seem to fixate on a specific section or feature. Some examples:
> * "What is this? What is this for?"
> * "What do you think of that?"
> * "What do you expect that will do?"
> * "So, what goes through your mind as you look at this?"
> * "What are you looking for?"
> * "What would you do next? Why?"
>
> These questions should be easy to answer and not intimidating. The Interviewer tries to keep the customer moving along and thinking aloud, not anxious to find the right answer.

5. Debrief. Ask questions that prompt the customer to summarize. Then thank the customer, give them a fat stack of 💵, and show the customer out.

> * [Summarize some of your key takeaways] – is that accurate? – Do this throughout the interview.
> * So based on the conversation, it sounds like x is really hard for you, but y is not. How accurate is that?
> * It sounds like x is very important to you, while y is not. How accurate is that?
> * "What did you like about the pofile? What do you dislike?"
> * Is there anything else you think I should know about that I didn’t ask?
> * Any other open-ended feedback. Then thank you and good-bye!

>

## Tentative Interview Process (can be determined after Lookback recordings)

### Before the First Interview
- [ ] Create a spreadsheet. Create a column for each customer. Then add a row for each prototype or section of prototype. (p. 219)

### During Each Interview
- [ ] Take notes as you watch. Hand out sticky notes and markers. Write down direct quotes, observations, and interpretations. Indicate positive or negative. (p. 219)

### After Each Interview
- [ ] Collect notes. Add your interview notes to the correct row and column on the spreadsheet. Briefly discuss the interview, but wait to draw conclusions. (p. 220)

### At the End of the Day
- [ ] Look for patterns. At the end of the day, read the board in silence and write down patterns. Make a list of all the patterns people noticed. Label each as positive, negative, or neutral. (p. 222)

- [ ] Wrap up. Review your long-term goal and your sprint questions. Compare with the patterns you saw in the interviews. Decide how to follow-up after the sprint. Write it down. (p. 222)