Defend your whys and learn how to prepare for a user interview

Since I began my journey in the tech industry, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some incredible designers who have truly inspired me. It wasn’t just their creativity, quick prototyping skills, or sharp problem-solving abilities that left an impression. What inspired me was their dedication to understanding the most human aspects of their work. For me, that complexity is what makes the UX field so fascinating and meaningful.

By watching them in action, I realized the real challenge isn’t just about coming up with clear, straightforward ideas or building functional prototypes. The true struggle lies in navigating situations when our design decisions are questioned, especially by stakeholders who casually interfere without having a deep understanding of design. Unfortunately, this happens more often than we’d like, but it’s something we constantly face as part of the job.

One tip here: never let them come up with solutions — that’s not the goal of an interview. It’s our responsibility as designers to find the right solutions. Your job is to steer the conversation back on track with your questions. Got it? You’ve got this! You’re a unique snowflake, dammit.

When we can clearly explain the reasoning behind our decisions, things tend to go much more smoothly — and that’s the real challenge. Because if we can’t successfully communicate our designs, no one will buy into the idea, not even our team. The key is to focus on bringing everyone on board by honing personal skills that help you gather the support needed to move forward.

Here’s a bullet-point list of tips to help you be more prepared to defend your decisions in a stakeholder interview:

• Limit the scope of your interview: I usually stick to 3 or 4 key topics.
• Ask relevant questions, such as: What do your daily activities typically involve? How does this company set itself apart from competitors? What are the brand values? What’s the next big challenge?
• Focus on the problem, not the solution.
• Write down your questions — and remember to add a question mark at the end!
• Schedule your interviews wisely: Leave at least 30 minutes between interviews, and allow enough time for each one. I find 45 minutes is usually sufficient.
• Don’t assume your question is unique — it may have been asked before.
• Do your homework: Read every relevant document, research paper, annual report, business plan, org chart, etc., ahead of time.
• Leverage your team’s knowledge: Find out what your colleagues already know.
• Set expectations: Let interviewees know in advance what you plan to ask.
• Use a checklist: Gather background information in a systematic way.
• Don’t leave anything to chance: Document everything.
• Double-check your tools: Make sure your pen works and your materials are ready. (Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way!)
• Now, if you’ve done all of your research, in which the interview is just one part of the path, and made good decisions with the goal of solving a problem for the business, then the design you propose is the right choice. But if you are yet not happy with that, try to answer why your solution is better than the alternative solution. Did you map them? Considered them? Or even tried them? Then, you'll be more prepared to explain why your solution is better.

With that comes great responsibility — you need to be prepared to demonstrate and defend every step of your decisions if they’re challenged. Be ready to explain your “whys,” not just to justify your conclusions, but also to keep a documented mental trail of how you arrived at that solution. The ultimate goal is to make this process a long-term, automated habit.

Thanks for reading!

If you would like to discuss more, share feedback, or ask any questions, drop me a line, or connect on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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