What Makes a Great UX Research Interview

In an ideal world, UX designers would talk to users early and often. We’d test ideas quickly, gather feedback regularly, and build empathy through repeated contact. But in clinical or highly regulated environments, that’s rarely how things go.

When designing Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) or digital health solutions, user interviews are often limited by legal, ethical, or logistical constraints. Getting access to patients recovering from a cardiac event or navigating rehabilitation means navigating layers of permissions, approvals, and clinical schedules.

So what do you do when access is limited, slow, or fragile?

Over the last few years working in digital health, I’ve learned that great UX interviews aren’t about quantity - they’re about clarity, care, and preparation. Here's what makes a difference.

1. Respect the User’s State - Not Just Their Time

In healthcare contexts, participants are often in vulnerable psychological or physical conditions. They may be fatigued, anxious, or uncertain. This means:

• Avoid leading or emotionally loaded questions

• Minimize cognitive load - short, clear questions go a long way

• Offer space and silence without pressure

• Thank them genuinely and often

It’s not about extracting insights - it’s about offering a safe space to share experience.

2. Prepare Like You Won’t Get a Second Chance

Because recruitment is hard and scheduling is tight, every interview matters. I treat each one as if it might be the only session I’ll get.

That means:

• Writing a clear discussion guide, but staying flexible

• Testing my script with a colleague to cut jargon or confusion

• Having all recording and note tools tested and ready in advance

• Coordinating with clinicians or care teams who help introduce the session

3. Co-Interview with Purpose

In clinical interviews, I’m often joined by a clinician, researcher, or study coordinator. Instead of seeing that as a limitation, I treat it as an advantage.

Co-interviewing works best when:

• Everyone is aligned on the roles and flow before the session

• The clinician can build rapport or explain context you can’t

• The UX researcher focuses on subtle cues, tone, hesitation, and emotional responses

It’s not a solo performance - it’s a collaborative setup.

4. Debrief Right After (Even If It’s Just You)

You won’t remember every tone, glance, or hesitation later. Immediately after the session, I always take 10–15 minutes to jot down:

• Emotional moments

• Surprises or inconsistencies

• Non-verbal observations

• Anything I’d do differently in the next session

This is especially helpful if you have to wait weeks before your next participant.

5. Let Each Interview Shape the Product, Even if It's Just One

If you're working on a clinical study, you may not be allowed to change the app during testing. But that doesn’t mean your interviews aren’t useful.

You can:

• Identify improvements for the commercial version

• Adjust onboarding or clinic materials (which aren’t locked in the study)

• Create hypotheses for future research

• Document pain points for product strategy discussions

Even if you only get a few sessions, they’re deeply valuable when treated with care.

Final Thought

In regulated environments, UX interviews may be rare - but they’re also precious. When you can't rely on volume, you rely on craft. And sometimes, those few rich, thoughtful conversations are more transformative than 100 rushed ones.