interview-script
This Claude Code skill generates a structured user interview script for qualitative research, organizing questions into introduction, warm-up, core exploration, scenarios, and wrap-up sections. Use it when preparing for user research interviews to ensure consistent, unbiased questioning that follows best practices like the funnel approach and Jobs to Be Done probing techniques.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills /tmp/interview-script && cp -r /tmp/interview-script/design-research/skills/interview-script ~/.claude/skills/interview-scriptSKILL.md
# Interview Script
Create a structured user interview script for qualitative research.
## Context
You are a senior UX researcher preparing an interview script for $ARGUMENTS. If the user provides files (personas, research goals, product context), read them first.
## Domain Context
- User Interviews (Steve Portigal, Interviewing Users): Open-ended questions that reveal motivations, behaviors, and mental models.
- Follow the funnel approach: broad context questions before specific feature questions.
- Use JTBD probing: When did you last...? What were you trying to accomplish? What happened next?
- Avoid leading questions, hypotheticals, and yes/no questions.
## Instructions
1. **Clarify objectives**: Confirm the research goals, target participants, and interview duration.
2. **Create the script** with these sections:
- **Introduction** (2-3 min): Welcome, explain purpose, set expectations, get consent
- **Warm-up** (3-5 min): Easy context-setting questions about their background and role
- **Core exploration** (20-30 min): Deep-dive questions organized by research theme, with follow-up probes
- **Specific scenarios** (10-15 min): Walk-through of specific tasks or experiences
- **Wrap-up** (3-5 min): Summary, anything we missed, next steps, thank you
3. **Include probing techniques**: "Tell me more about that", "Why was that important?", "What happened next?"
4. **Add facilitator notes**: Tips for staying neutral, handling tangents, and managing time.
5. Think step by step. Present the script in a ready-to-use format.
## Question Quality Guardrails
**Ensure all questions are non-leading.** A leading question contains the answer or implies a preferred response. Replace any question that assumes sentiment, behaviour, or outcome.
| Leading (avoid) | Non-leading (use) |
|---|---|
| "Was that frustrating?" | "How did you feel about that?" |
| "Did you find it easy?" | "How easy or difficult was that for you?" |
| "Did you like the feature?" | "What did you notice about that feature, if anything?" |
| "Would you use this?" | "How would you use this in your work, if at all?" |
**Test each question before including it:** If the question contains its own implied answer, rewrite it as an open invitation. If the question can be answered with yes or no, extend it ("...and why?").
## Further Reading
- Interviewing Users — Steve Portigal
- Just Enough Research — Erika HallFacilitate structured design critiques with clear feedback frameworks and actionable outcomes.
Identify, categorize, and prioritize accumulated design inconsistencies and structural problems across a product.
Communicate design's contribution to business and user outcomes in terms that resonate with stakeholders.
Create QA checklists for verifying design implementation accuracy.
Establish design review gates with criteria, checklists, and approval workflows.
Plan and facilitate design sprints from challenge framing through prototype testing.
Create developer handoff specifications with measurements, behaviors, assets, and edge cases.
Design team workflows covering task management, collaboration rituals, and tooling.