| 1 |
“Hi, Sofía—how are you?” |
Break the ice and build rapport before starting the interview. |
| 2 |
“Is it okay if I record this interview?” |
Obtain consent and ensure accurate note-taking for later analysis. |
| 3 |
“What do you do at the university—are you a student or a professor?” |
Identify the interviewee’s profile and relationship to campus (user segment). |
| 4 |
“Which faculty/school are you in?” |
Understand their campus context (likely buildings/areas they use). |
| 5 |
“How often do you have gaps between classes during the week?” |
Estimate how frequently the situation where the problem occurs happens. |
| 6 |
“And during those gaps, what do you usually do?” |
Understand the goal/need during gaps (study, rest, work, etc.). |
| 7 |
“Tell me about the last time you needed an empty/quiet space.” |
Get a recent, concrete example (real behavior vs. general opinion). |
| 8 |
“If your usual spot is full, what do you normally do?” |
Identify current workarounds and pain points when the first option fails. |
| 9 |
“Around what time do you usually have that gap?” |
Understand timing (peak hours vs. off-peak) and how it affects the problem. |
| 10 |
“What do you like about that spot in the library?” |
Identify what “value” means for the user (comfort, silence, equipment, etc.). |
| 11 |
“So that gap happens only on Mondays, right?” |
Confirm a pattern and avoid assumptions; check consistency of the story. |
| 12 |
“When it’s already full, what consequences does that have for you?” |
Understand impact (stress, productivity, decisions, time lost, etc.). |
| 13 |
“On a scale from 1 to 10, how big is this problem for you?” |
Measure perceived severity to help prioritize the problem. |
| 14 |
“(To clarify) I mean the problem of not finding free spaces/rooms at the university.” |
Ensure both interviewer and interviewee are aligned on the exact problem being rated. |
| 15 |
“Who do you think suffers the most with this problem?” |
Identify which groups are most affected (target segments). |
| 16 |
“What type of person/profile do you think would struggle a lot with this problem?” |
Deepen segmentation and identify high-need users. |
| 17 |
“If we could imagine a ‘perfect spot’ for you, what would it have?” |
Extract key needs/criteria for an ideal space (without proposing a solution). |
| 18 |
“If you could change one thing about the current situation, what would it be?” |
Capture the highest-priority improvement from the user’s perspective. |
| 19 |
“Just to confirm—do you use these gaps for both resting and studying?” |
Validate the interviewer’s interpretation and confirm the user’s needs. |