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Practical Guide to User Interviews — Part 1: Preparation & Execution
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PM Essentials

Practical Guide to User Interviews — Part 1: Preparation & Execution

A hands-on guide to running user interviews that lead to real insight — not just polite feedback.

Dmytro Khalapsus's avatar
Dmytro Khalapsus
Apr 18, 2025
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The Atomic Product
The Atomic Product
Practical Guide to User Interviews — Part 1: Preparation & Execution
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Hey, Dmytro here — welcome to Atomic Product.
Every week, I share practical ideas, tools, and real-world lessons to help you grow as a product thinker and builder.

If you're new here, here are a few past posts you might find useful:

  • Design Thinking: How to Think Like a Product Manager

  • Double vs. Triple Diamond: Why two Product Diamonds aren’t always enough

  • B2B or B2C PM? Take the checklist and choose your side

  • 14 Must-Read Books for Every Product Manager

Hit subscribe if not on the list yet— and let’s roll 👇


In the first part of this series, we covered why user interviews matter and the mistakes even experienced PMs often make [link]. Now it's time to get down to the practical side of things — we’ll break the user interview down to its atomic components.

I’ve put together a detailed guide (in two parts) to help you run interviews that actually lead to insights and impact.
Ready? Let’s go. 🚀


Preparing for the interview: 60% of success happens here

If you’re asking yourself, “Do I really need to prepare?”, the answer is simple: a poorly prepared interview is worse than no interview at all.

A user interview isn’t just a “chat with a user.” It’s a research tool — one that should influence your product strategy. But if you’re not prepared, the whole thing turns into a waste of time.

🚨 Without proper prep:

  • ❌ You’ll ask vague questions and get useless answers.

  • ❌ Your interviewee will be confused and give you superficial feedback.

  • ❌ You won’t be able to compare interviews or extract patterns.

An interview ≠ conversation. It’s a decision-making tool. And like any tool, it works only if it’s properly set up.

Proper prep includes three key steps:

  1. Defining your objective: What exactly do you want to learn?

  2. Choosing the right people: Who should you talk to and where do you find them?

  3. Building your interview guide: What questions will lead to real insights?

Let’s break each one down.

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