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User Interview Playbook
Battle-tested framework for user interviews — from HeyGen's 937 interviews to PMF
💡 Why Star This?
- Battle-Tested: HeyGen did 937 interviews in 6 months to find PMF — this is the same methodology
- Complete Framework: End-to-end templates from user screening to post-interview analysis
- Ready to Use: Question banks, debrief templates, user grading standards
💡 Need 1-on-1 Consulting? 30 min / $100 — Contact @Iris_carrot on Telegram
⭐ Star This Repo
If this playbook helps you, a GitHub Star ⭐ helps others discover it!
Why User Interviews?
"Product founders spend the first 6 months doing intensive user interviews. HeyGen's founder did 937 interviews in 6 months. Wisperflow and Higgsfield both did 500+. It's constant interviewing and iterating."
— Iris (生姜iris)
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 🎯 Validate Needs | Confirm users actually need this feature/product |
| 🔍 Discover Pain Points | Find friction points in the user journey |
| 📖 Collect Stories | Gather real user stories for marketing & fundraising |
| 🤝 Build Relationships | Convert high-value users into ambassadors |
| 🚀 Guide Iteration | Turn feedback into product roadmap |
Key Benchmarks
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Registration to Paid | 5%-8% |
| Interview Frequency | 3-5 per week minimum |
| Actionable Insights | 3+ feature requests per interview |
Pre-Interview Preparation
Step 1: Define Interview Goals
- What is the core question for this interview?
- What hypothesis are you validating?
- Which user segment are you targeting?
Step 2: Screen Interview Candidates
| Priority | User Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 P0 | Paying Users | Already paid — highest value |
| 🔴 P0 | Power Users | Daily usage, deep product knowledge |
| 🟠 P1 | Competitor Users | Using competing products |
| 🟠 P1 | Churned Users | Previously active, now gone |
| 🟡 P2 | Registered Non-Payers | Interested but not converted |
Step 3: Schedule Users
Invitation Template:
Hi [Name],
I'm [Your Name] from [Company]. We noticed you've been using [Product]
and would love to invite you to a 30-minute interview to understand
your experience and feedback.
The session will be recorded for internal review only, never shared publicly.
Would you have time this week?
Best,
[Your Name]
Follow-up Cadence:
- Day 1: Initial invite
- Day 3: First follow-up
- Day 7: Second follow-up
- Day 10: Final follow-up
- Multi-channel: LinkedIn, email, Telegram, Discord — everywhere you can reach them
Interview Execution
Interview Setup
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Duration | 30-45 minutes |
| Format | Video call (Zoom/Meet/Teams) |
| Recording | Mandatory — including screen share |
| Team | 1 moderator + 1 note-taker |
Opening Script (5 min)
1. Warm-up + Introduction
"Hi, thanks for taking the time to chat. I'm [Name], working on
product at [Company]."
2. Set Expectations
"Today I'd love to learn about your experience with our product
and hear your feedback to help us improve."
3. Get Recording Consent
"We'll record this session for internal learning — it won't be
shared publicly. You can keep your camera off if you prefer.
Is that okay?"
4. Background
"Before we dive in, could you briefly introduce yourself?"
Core Question Framework
1. Background (Must-Ask)
| Question | Purpose |
|---|---|
| What do you do for work? | Understand user persona |
| How did you hear about us? | Identify acquisition channels |
| How long have you been using the product? | Gauge user maturity |
| Which features do you use most? | Identify core use cases |
| What other similar tools do you use? | Understand competitive landscape |
2. Deep Dive (Core)
Current Workflow:
- What problem are you solving with our product?
- What do you do most frequently in our product?
- How did you solve this problem before us?
- What's changed since you started using us?
Competitor Comparison:
- What other similar products are you using?
- What do you use each product for?
- How do we compare to competitors?
- What do competitors do better than us?
Pain Point Discovery:
- What frustrates you about using our product?
- Have you encountered any bugs or issues?
- Is there a feature that's particularly hard to use?
- If you had a magic wand, what would you change?
Willingness to Pay:
- What tools have you paid for before?
- What made you decide to pay?
- How much would you pay for our product?
- What would make you upgrade to paid?
3. Screen Sharing (Critical!)
"Have users share their screen during interviews. Watch how they use it. See where they get stuck." — Iris
What to Observe:
- How does the user navigate?
- Where do they get stuck?
- Which features are used vs. ignored?
- Emotional reactions during usage?
Prompt:
"Could you show me how you typically use our product?
Just do what you'd normally do — no need to prepare anything special."
Closing & Follow-up
Closing Script (5 min)
1. Ambassador Invite
"We have a user ambassador program — you'd get early access to
new features and direct input on product direction. Interested?"
2. Referrals
"Do you know anyone else who might benefit from our product?"
3. Thank You
"Thanks so much for your time — your feedback is incredibly valuable!"
Post-Interview Debrief (Required!)
See Templates
User Grading Standards
Grading Dimensions
| Dimension | Description |
|---|---|
| Usage Frequency | Daily / Weekly / Monthly |
| Usage Depth | Core features / Advanced / API |
| Payment Status | Free / Basic / Pro / Enterprise |
| Engagement Level | Passive / Active / Proactive |
| Social Influence | Regular user / KOL / Community leader |
User Tiers
| Tier | Characteristics | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 S-Tier | Power user + Paid + Willing to advocate | Ambassador priority, CEO/PM direct contact |
| 🟠 A-Tier | Power user + Payment potential | Beta access, regular check-ins |
| 🟡 B-Tier | Occasional use + No clear payment intent | Guide to core features, push conversion |
| ⚪ C-Tier | Low activity + No payment intent | Reduce investment, monitor natural retention |
Templates & Tools
📝 Templates
🛠️ Recommended Tools
| Category | Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Survey | Typeform | User research surveys |
| Recording | Grain, Fathom | Meeting transcription |
| Database | Airtable | User database |
| Scheduling | Calendly | Appointment booking |
| Outreach | B2B user contact |
FAQ
Q1: Users don't want to join interviews?
- Offer incentives ($50 gift card)
- Emphasize impact on product improvement
- Start with your most engaged users
Q2: User is nervous and can't talk?
- Start with casual topics
- Share some industry gossip
- Let them demo the product first — reduces pressure
Q3: User has too many feature requests?
- Ask: "If you could only have one, which would it be?"
- Check alignment with core use cases
- Compare against product roadmap
Q4: How to tell if user is just being polite?
- Watch screen share behavior — real usage is revealing
- Probe for details: "Can you tell me more?"
- Willingness to pay is the most honest signal
中文版
详细中文内容请参考 references/zh/README.md
快速导航
| 主题 | 链接 |
|---|---|
| 访谈准备 | references/zh/preparation.md |
| 访谈执行 | references/zh/execution.md |
| 问题框架 | references/zh/questions.md |
| 模板库 | references/templates.md |
📚 Get the Complete Playbook
Want all playbooks in one comprehensive package? Get the Open-Source Project Integrated Marketing Action Manual:
About the Author
Iris (生姜iris) — Former cofounder & COO of AFFiNE, led global go-to-market from 0 to millions of users.
- 💬 Telegram: @Iris_carrot
- 🐦 Twitter: @WeiYipei
- 📱 即刻: 生姜iris
- 📧 公众号: 云宝的桃花坞
Consulting
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| 30-min Session | $100 / ¥800 |
| 60-min Session | $200 / ¥1,500 |
| Monthly Retainer (≤5h) | $1,000 / ¥7,000 |
Related Playbooks
- gingiris-launch — AI Product Global Launch Playbook
- gingiris-opensource — Open Source Launch Marketing
- gingiris-b2b-growth — B2B SaaS Growth Playbook
- gingiris-aso-growth — Mobile App ASO & Growth
License
MIT License - Feel free to use and adapt!
🗂️ See Also — Gingiris Playbook Series on HuggingFace
| Playbook | Focus | HuggingFace |
|---|---|---|
| gingiris-growth-finder | 🧭 Meta-router: diagnoses your situation, picks the right playbook | Gingiris/gingiris-growth-finder |
| gingiris-launch | 🚀 Product Hunt launch, KOL outreach, UGC growth | Gingiris/gingiris-launch |
| gingiris-opensource | ⭐ GitHub stars, HN, OSS go-to-market | Gingiris/gingiris-opensource |
| gingiris-b2b-growth | 📈 B2B SaaS PLG/SLG, PMF to $10M ARR | Gingiris/gingiris-b2b-growth |
| gingiris-aso-growth | 📱 ASO, mobile cold start, UGC matrix | Gingiris/gingiris-aso-growth |
| gingiris-seo-geo | 🔍 SEO + GEO dual-engine, AI search citations | Gingiris/gingiris-seo-geo |
| gingiris-skills | 🛠️ Full toolkit: 12 Claude Code skills bundled | Gingiris/gingiris-skills |
| growth-tools | 📚 Blog & tools hub | Gingiris/growth-tools |
多语言摘要
中文
Gingiris 用户访谈剧本 — 系统化用户访谈框架，从用户邀约到 PMF 发现的完整 SOP。
HeyGen 在 6 个月内完成了 937 次用户访谈并找到 PMF，Wisperflow 和 Higgsfield 均做了 500+ 次。这个手册还原了同样的方法论。
核心内容：访谈目标设定、候选用户筛选（P0/P1/P2 分层）、邀约模板、开场脚本、核心问题框架（痛点/竞品比较/付费意愿）、屏幕共享技术、访谈后分析 SOP。
作者：Iris（生姜iris），Forbes 亚洲 30 Under 30，gingiris.com
日本語
Gingiris ユーザーインタビュープレイブック — PMF発見のための体系的なユーザーインタビューフレームワーク。HeyGenが6ヶ月で937回のインタビューを行った同じ方法論。招待テンプレート、コア質問フレームワーク、インタビュー後分析SOPを含む。
한국어
Gingiris 사용자 인터뷰 플레이북 — PMF 발견을 위한 체계적인 사용자 인터뷰 프레임워크. HeyGen이 6개월 동안 937번의 인터뷰를 수행한 동일한 방법론. 초대 템플릿, 핵심 질문 프레임워크, 인터뷰 후 분석 SOP 포함.
All playbooks live at gingiris.com and skills.sh/Gingiris.
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