3 Questions You Should Always Ask in an In-Depth Interview
Author: Jay Thomas
UX Designer who builds UX research teams, leads design teams, and implements Jobs to be Done (JTBD) in companies
In a user interview, the goal is to uncover real user behavior. To get meaningful insights—both clear needs and hidden opportunities—you need to ask the right questions. There are many good ones, but here are the three I never skip:
How do you currently solve task X?
Reveals: Hidden opportunities
The user might not complain, but they may be taking unnecessary steps. That’s your improvement zone. Example: if someone exports data from one tool, formats it in Excel, and uploads it into another—there’s a clear case for automation.
What difficulties do you face in the process?
Reveals: Clear needs
These are the issues users are aware of and can verbalize. Example: “There’s no quick search” or “There are too many fields in the form.” These are not hidden—they’re visible problems that should be tackled first.
How do you deal with those difficulties?
Reveals:
Workarounds: Users often invent creative hacks to cope. These can inspire real features in your product.
Problem severity: If they came up with a workaround, the issue is serious. But even if they didn’t, it doesn’t mean it’s not important—they may have just given up.
These three questions reveal where the product is failing, where there's untapped potential, and what users are already doing to cope.
Jay Thomas
A UX strategist with a decade of experience in building and leading UX research and design teams. He specializes in implementing Jobs to be Done (JTBD) methodologies and designing both complex B2B admin panels and high-traffic consumer-facing features used by millions.
Previously, he led UX development at DomClick, where he scaled the UX research team and built a company-wide design system. He is a guest lecturer at HSE and Bang Bang Education and has studied JTBD at Harvard Business School.
Jay has worked with ONY, QIWI, Sber, CIAN, Megafon, Shell, MTS, Adidas, and other industry leaders, helping them create data-driven, user-centered experiences that drive engagement and business growth.
