Even the most experienced researchers make mistakes in qualitative research like in-depth interviews or usability testing. It can be nodding when a user says what you want to hear, not allowing silence to let them think, or assuming they may be emotional about a product because you feel they might be facing a crisis. 

How can psychology help here? What is understood by empathy? How to focus on what the other person is trying to tell you and not plan the next question in your head? How to train "soft" skills, and where to draw inspiration to enhance them? 

The presentation is a collection of practical tips (with examples of ups and downs) on qualitative research and mitigating mistakes. I will cover the most common situations and questions a researcher gets asked. The speech is a sort of answer to the question: how to interview users and make as few suggestions as possible? 

As it is no longer only UX Researchers who interview users, the talk is addressed to Product Owners, Project Managers, Product Designers, and UX Designers. I will start with the basics of interviewing and testing and move on to more advanced cases and a toolbox for strengthening competencies in this area.

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