Question Design

The difference between a useful interview and a pleasant waste of time often comes down to how you phrase a single question. Great questions share four properties: open-ended, neutral, past-focused, and specific.

The Four Properties

Open-ended, produces narrative, not yes/no. "What happened the last time you checked out?" > "Did you like the checkout flow?"

Neutral: doesn't prime the participant toward your hypothesis. "How was your experience with support?" > "How satisfied are you with support?"

Past-focused: asks about actual behavior, not hypothetical preference. "When was the last time you switched apps because of delivery time?" > "Would you ever switch apps because of delivery time?"

Specific: anchors in a concrete episode. "Walk me through the last time you onboarded someone" > "How do you handle onboarding?"

The Leading Question Problem

Leading questions are insidious because they feel natural. You're eager to confirm your hypothesis, so you unconsciously phrase questions to get confirming responses.