How do you take notes during user interviews?

Illustration of a person next to a notebook

My two cents

For detailed notes: Notion or Dovetail

I usually take my interview notes in Notion or Dovetail when I want many details. I find that these two programs are great for quick note-taking as I'm not thinking about all the formatting options I could have in something like Word. When I take such notes it's usually small sentences. And I try to already add titles while taking notes to make it quicker to go back to my notes.

For quick notes: Miro

When I know in advance the type of feedback I'm looking for I prefer to take notes on sticky notes in Miro as I can then more quickly regroup learnings from different interviews by just moving sticky notes. When I take such notes, it's usually just a few keywords.

Marking things to quote

When I want to remember a specific word or sentence the person used, I use quotation marks around it.

No recording

I've stopped recording interviews as for me the time spent managing the transcription part, versus the benefits isn't big enough for me. Also, it makes it easier from a legal perspective as I'm just taking notes and not recording any voices or faces.

Summarising during, at the end and after

I like to write the key insight or summary during the interview. For that, at the end of my note, I have a summary section with bullet points that I fill in whenever I feel I've understood one priority element. In Miro, I do the same, but just with a frame already placed with a few sticky notes.

At the end of the interview, I usually say something like: "Is it okay if I summarise to you a few of the main learnings I take with me from our conversation?" I then go through the summary, and usually, the person has a last important thought to share.

For interviews that are much more details, I then take a few minutes after the end of the interview to write down the key elements that stay in my mind after this conversation.

I've found that this process of summarising makes it possible to get quickly to the main insights.

Examples from other people

Debbie Levitt

Debbie Levitt, Chief Experience Officer at Delta CX and author of the book “Customers Know You Suck” has shared a few sample interviews and observational research sessions where she shows how she's taking notes during the interview and observation phase.

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