A User Interview Guide for Government Teams

User interviews are one of the best ways to understand the needs of your users. They can reveal how users actually think, feel, and behave when interacting with your service. 

But, if you’re like most government teams, you probably don’t know where to start.

That’s why we’ve created this user interview guide. Consider it your one-stop shop for running successful user interviews that help you create better, more user-centred public services.

First, let’s start with why taking good notes is such an important part of the user interview process.

Why taking notes matters

Even the best memory can’t hold onto everything from a research session. Good notes make sure important details aren’t lost and that your findings can be analyzed, shared and acted on later.

While transcripts are helpful, they often miss key context and don’t capture non-verbal behaviours. Notes, on the other hand, highlight what people say, do, and feel, the elements that matter most for user research.

How to take good notes

Preparing for the session

Before starting a user interview, reflect on what you want to capture.

Focus on recording observations, not interpretations, such as:

• Actions: Tasks, tools, processes, choices, barriers.
• Thoughts: Goals, triggers, reasons, knowledge gaps.
• Feelings: Motivations, frustrations, reactions, moments of joy.

If you need to make an assumption, clearly mark it in [square brackets].

You can also set your team up for success by:

• Defining research goals: Be clear about what you’re trying to learn (e.g. “Can users find X?”).
• Choosing a format: A shared document or spreadsheet works well. Include columns for time, what was said or done, observations, and themes.
• Aligning on note-taking conventions: Use “quotes” for verbatim quotes, [brackets] for assumptions, and timestamps to anchor notes.

During the session

Divide responsibilities: the interviewer leads the conversation, while the note-taker records what happens. If possible, record audio or video (with permission) to fill in gaps later.

Do your best to capture:

• Direct quotes (with quotation marks).
• Actions and reactions such as clicks, hesitations, or sighs.
• Non-verbal cues like tone, pauses, or body language.

To avoid confusion across time zones, use elapsed timestamps (e.g. “35 min”) instead of clock time.

After the Session

Don’t let your notes sit untouched. Debrief with your team within 15–30 minutes while details are still fresh. Compare observations, resolve uncertainties, and remove personal or identifying information before sharing.

Once notes are cleaned, group them by theme to prepare for synthesis. This step makes it easier to identify patterns and turn insights into actionable improvements.

Interview best practices

Now that we’ve covered how to take good notes, it’s time to dive into the second important aspect of user interviews — asking good questions.

Asking the right questions

Great notes are only as strong as the questions they’re based on. The way you ask shapes the kind of information you receive. Your goal should be to uncover how people truly experience a service — without leading them to an answer.

The most effective questions are open-ended and exploratory. For example:

• “Can you walk me through what you’re doing?”
• “What were you expecting to happen?”
• “How do you usually handle that task?”

If you want to go deeper, use gentle probes:

• “What made you do that?”
• “Can you tell me more about that?”
• “What would you do next?”

And don’t be afraid of silence. Pauses often encourage participants to reflect and share more details.

Stay away from leading or hypothetical questions such as:

• “Do you like this?”
• “Would you use this every day?”
• “Was that easy?”

These questions bias responses and rarely reveal real behaviour.

Asking the right questions isn’t just about wording. It’s also about how you listen and respond. Stay neutral and avoid reacting strongly to participants’ answers. Use their own language rather than technical jargon, and let them guide you to what matters most.

Always ask one question at a time and leave space for the participant to answer fully. The less you speak, the more they’ll share.

A user interview prompt bank

Here are some flexible, neutral prompts you can adapt for your own interviews:

Task-Based Questions:

• “What are you trying to do here?”
• “What’s going through your mind right now?”
• “What would you expect to happen next?”

Problem & Pain Points:

• “When was the last time this didn’t work well?”
• “What do you usually do when that happens?”
• “How do you feel when you have to deal with that?”

Motivations & Values:

• “What’s most important to you when using a system like this?”
• “What would make this feel successful or easy?”
• “What are you hoping to avoid?”

Reflection & Wrap-Up:

• “If you could change one thing, what would it be?”
• “Is there anything we didn’t ask that we should have?”
• “Would you recommend this to a colleague? Why or why not?”

Interested in learning more? We can help

Running user interviews isn’t just about collecting answers — it’s about understanding the experiences and challenges of the people who use your services. 

By combining structured notes with thoughtful questions, government teams can uncover insights that lead to better, more user-centred services.

Interested in learning more about introducing user interviews into your digital service? Get in touch to learn how Code for Canada can help.