A presentation at UX Scotland in in Edinburgh, UK by Chris How
Asking better questions
Hello, I’m CHRIS @chrishow
Asking better questions
Albert Einstein If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes to determine the proper questions to ask.
Voltaire Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
Thomas S. Kuhn The answers you get depend on the questions you ask.
What makes a good question? 8 factors to consider
a good question ends in a question mark 1 of 8
a good question has a purpose 2 of 8
a good question gives insight that is actionable 3 of 8
a good question opens up a conversation 4 of 8
a good question is neutral and free of bias 5 of 8
a good question is interesting 6 of 8
a good question is short 7 of 8
a good question can be answered 8 of 8
Let’s play - ‘The BBC are rubbish at asking questions’ bingo
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 1 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 2 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 3 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 4 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 5 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 6 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 7 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 8 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 9 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 10 of 11
BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 11 of 11
How can I get better answers from my questions? My 5 top tips
getting better answers
Listen and observe more than you talk.
Use the power of silence.
1 of 5
getting better answers Be aware of moderation bias. Avoid prompting, leading and confirming. 2 of 5
getting better answers Ask fewer questions but go deeper. Use the five whys. 3 of 5
getting better answers Know your killer question and when to ask it. 4 of 5
getting better answers
Empower the interviewee.
Unlock insight through interest
and empathy.
5 of 5
getting better answers What would you suggest?
How can I get better at asking questions? My 5 top tips
asking better questions Do more of it. Improvement comes with practice and reflection. 1 of 5
asking better questions
Listen back critically to session
recordings of yourself.
However experienced you are you’ll
find things to improve upon.
2 of 5
asking better questions
After each project reflect on which
questions gave the best insight and why.
Keep an ongoing list, iterate and re-use
good questions.
3 of 5
asking better questions
Watch other practitioners in action.
Live or recorded. Experienced
colleagues and those starting out.
4 of 5
asking better questions Stretch yourself. Build your toolkit by asking a new question or trying a new activity in your next project. 5 of 5
asking better questions What would you suggest?
Thank you for listening Any questions?
Asking better questions Slides, articles & resources https://noti.st/chrishow/HZkBNh/asking-better-questions @chrishow
Asking questions is at the heart of uncovering ideas and opportunities that can then be translated into effective and delightful digital products and services.
In this interactive session you’ll get practical tips to answer:
What makes a good question? How can I get better answers from my questions? How can I get better at asking questions?
As a bonus, Chris will introduce you to ‘shit question bingo’ to help hone your interviewing skills.
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
The quick and easy handbook about how to get more learning and more sales out of your customer conversations.
The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas
Portigal's common-sense guide to interviewing is an excellent primer on methods and techniques.
for free. You
can too.