Customer Interviews for Content Strategists

Customer interviews for content strategists

Kerry-Anne Gilowey CS Forum 2016 · Melbourne, Australia · 6 October 2016

Talk to the People

@kerry_anne

Why interviews?

Snuggle Blankies Inc.

Snuggle Blankies Inc.

Snuggle Blankies Inc.

Snuggle Blankies Inc.

Snuggle Blankies Inc.

Hi! I’m Elizabeth. I use your product.

Uh… hi! Can anyone

hear me?

IS THIS THING ON?!

The voice of the customer.

WHAT INFORMATION DO THEY NEED?

WHAT’S THEIR CONTEXT?

HOW DO THEY SEE THE WORLD?

Crouching customer,

hidden needs.

Interviews for content?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

FIRST UP, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INTERVIEWS”?

Interviews can help us to…

• Shape our content to support the user journey

Interviews can help us to…

• Shape our content to support the user journey

• Know what information to include

Instructional content

Key messages

Content types

Interviews can help us to…

• Shape our content to support the user journey

• Know what information to include • Decide how to deliver and present

that information

Tone

Terminology

Channels

Format

Planning and preparation

HOW MANY INTERVIEWS?

GO TO THEM

They may be working under

difficult circumstances.

USE PROPS

PACE YOURSELF!

THINK CAREFULLY

ABOUT RECORDING

SET EXPECTATIONS

Interviewing basics

50% 50%

Empathy Objectivity

BE WARM. CONNECT.

IT’S NOT A SCIENCE

EXPERIMENT.

MAKE SMALL TALK

“The more confident you are at talking to different types of people, the better you’ll be at research interviews and truly listening to what people have to say. If small talk isn’t your strong point, maybe it’s an excuse to go to more parties – for research purposes, of course.” – Cennydd Bowles and James Box

(p.29, Undercover User Experience Design)

“NO, REALLY, I’M DOING RESEARCH.”

START WITH A CUP OF COFFEE AND A TIM TAM

EXPLAIN THE FINE PRINT

LISTEN

Original image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seantubridy/

DON’T INTERRUPT

... and I mean, I like the blankies and all, but I just

wonder if they couldn’t be a bit bigger. Sometimes I find that my

toes stick out at the bottom and --

Hot today, isn’t it?

GET COMFORTABLE WITH SILENCE

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, ASK, ASK,

AND ASK AGAIN.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, ASK, ASK,

AND ASK AGAIN.

?

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, ASK, ASK,

AND ASK AGAIN.

? ?

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, ASK, ASK,

AND ASK AGAIN.

? ? ?

DON’T SHY AWAY FROM

HUMOUR.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/

Questions to ask

2+2=?

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOB

MARRIED? CHILDREN? PETS?

HERPTY DERPTY DERP?

NOT SO FAST, LITTLE BUDDY.

IF XYZ, THEN WHAT?

WHO INFLUENCES THEM?

Facebook friends

Spouse

NewspapersPeople

on Twitter

Colleagues

Mother-in-law

Best friend

DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO OFF SCRIPT

KEEP ASKING WHY

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidrn/

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

• How did you first hear about Snuggle Blankies? • Did you try any other similar companies, like Blankies R Us or Blankie Hut? • What are the most important things you need from Snuggle Blankies? • Have you ever had to call 1800-SNUGGLE? • What was the worst thing about your experience with Snuggle Blankies? • What was the best part of your Snuggle Blankies experience? • Was there anything you found confusing? • Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

• How did you first hear about Snuggle Blankies? • Did you try any other similar companies, like Blankies R Us or Blankie Hut? • What are the most important things you need from Snuggle Blankies? • Have you ever had to call 1800-SNUGGLE? • What was the worst thing about your experience with Snuggle Blankies? • What was the best part of your Snuggle Blankies experience? • Was there anything you found confusing? • Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

• How did you first hear about Snuggle Blankies? • Did you try any other similar companies, like Blankies R Us or Blankie Hut? • What are the most important things you need from Snuggle Blankies? • Have you ever had to call 1800-SNUGGLE? • What was the worst thing about your experience with Snuggle Blankies? • What was the best part of your Snuggle Blankies experience? • Was there anything you found confusing? • Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?

What to listen for

I want a faster horse, please.

READ

“OBVIOUSLY...”

Obviously you’re just a small, hairless cat.

Obviously the blankets aren’t big enough for me because I’m

very tall and have extra-long toes.

Obviously all blankets are basically the same.

blanket vs blankie

warm vs snug

mail vs post

shipping vs delivery

WHAT WORDS DO THEY PREFER?

What type of language do

they relate to?

What type of language do

they relate to?

I like a really comfy, schnuggly-wuggly

blankie.

What type of language do

they relate to? I have a preference for deep pile microfleece

bedding material.

WHAT ARE THE STORIES THEY’RE TELLING THEMSELVES?

Blankie feels a bit weird.

WHAT ARE THE STORIES THEY’RE TELLING THEMSELVES?

Blankie feels a bit weird. I’m probably just

the wrong shape for blankies.

WHAT ARE THE STORIES THEY’RE TELLING THEMSELVES?

Blah blah blah SOFT

blah blah FLUFFY blah blah SOFT blah blah blah

WARM blah blah SOFT blah blah.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM?

HOW DO YOU FIT INTO THEIR WORLD?

HOW DOES YOUR CONTENT MAKE THEM FEEL?

WHAT ARE THEIR

QUESTIONS?

HOW DO THEY SEE THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR ORGANISATION?

HOW DO THEY SEE THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR ORGANISATION?

What now?

REVISE YOUR PERSONAS

MAP THEIR JOURNEY

CHOOSE YOUR CHANNELS

Twitter

Blog

SMSFacebook

EmailFace to face Call centre

Snail mail

Print

WRITE VOICE AND TONE GUIDELINES

MAKE TERM LISTS

CORRECT INCORRECT

blankie blanket

snug warm

mail post

shipping delivery

USE SPECIFIC, REAL QUOTES WITH STAKEHOLDERS

“I want to throw my phone out of the window when I try to order a blankie on your site. I can’t see the buttons properly, and the boxes are too small to type in!”

– Elizabeth, customer for four years

PLAN YOUR CONTENT

ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS

The statement

“I’m a bit worried about

ordering a Snuggle

Blankie online because I

might not like it when it

arrives.”

The underlying question

What happens if I

don’t like my

blankie when it

arrives?

The result

Can I return my blankie

if I don’t like it? Yes, absolutely. Just put it in the

envelope provided and you can

return it to us free of charge. We

will refund you, or you can choose

another blankie.

Thanks for listening.

Kerry-Anne Gilowey kerryanne@augustsun.co.za

@kerry_anne

Do get in touch and tell me your stories!