How to run remote user interviews in Africa

Write down the decision your interviews should help you make, for example “Should our app let people pay in instalments?” Every question you ask should help answer it. If it doesn't, cut it.

• Plan 30 to 45 minutes. Longer calls cost people more data and attention, and the last 15 minutes rarely add much.
• Talk to five to eight people from each group you care about. After that you'll mostly hear the same stories again.
• Write a short guide with five or six main questions, then follow wherever the conversation goes.

Check the time zone first. Africa runs from GMT−1 to GMT+4: Ghana and Senegal are on GMT, South Africa is two hours ahead and Kenya three. Most African countries don't change their clocks for daylight saving, so the gap to Europe or the US shifts when those clocks change.

Many people work during the day, travel in heavy traffic and look after family, so evenings and weekends often work best. Think about prayer and church too: Friday early afternoon can clash for Muslim participants, and Sunday morning for people who go to church.

On myUsersInsight, you set the times you're free and each person you invite picks one. Everyone on your team gets a calendar invite when someone books, and reminders a day and an hour before.

In many African cultures, going straight to business can feel rude. Take a minute to say hello, ask how they are and thank them for their time. People relax when you do, and relaxed people tell you more.

• Say who you are, who the research is for and what you'll use it for.
• Explain that there are no right or wrong answers, and that they can skip any question or stop at any time.
• Tell them they can switch language whenever they like.

On myUsersInsight, people agree to be recorded on the consent screen before they join, then wait until you let them in. Join a few minutes early so nobody waits alone.

People are better at remembering what they did than predicting what they'd do. Ask about the last time something really happened, and you'll hear about the workarounds, costs and worries that matter.

• Ask “Tell me about the last time you paid a bill” rather than “How do you usually pay bills?”
• Ask one question at a time, and follow up with “Why?” and “What happened next?”
• Avoid questions that hint at the answer you want, like “Wouldn't it be easier if…?”
• Leave silences. People often add the most useful detail after a pause.

Video uses a lot of data. If the picture freezes or the sound breaks up, suggest they turn their camera off: you'll still hear everything. On myUsersInsight, the participant's camera is optional.

If the call drops, wait a few minutes for them to rejoin before you do anything else. On myUsersInsight, a call that ends early pays for the minutes you talked, and calls under 10 minutes aren't paid, so waiting is fairer for them and cheaper than a new session for you.

Don't try to write everything down. Note the moments that surprise you, and the exact words people use, so you can find them later.

On myUsersInsight, every call is recorded and transcribed, with a short summary. Your notes are stamped with the recording time, so each one takes you to that moment in the video.

Thank them again and tell them when they'll be paid. People who are paid on time, as promised, come back for your next study.

Write down your top three takeaways within the hour, while you still remember the tone of the conversation.

• On myUsersInsight, the reward goes to the participant's mobile money: you have a day to report a problem, then our team sends it within 2 working days.
• Rate each session, so other teams know who turns up and takes part well.
• In Recordings, mark highlights. In Insights, group them into themes to see the patterns across every interview.

Use recordings for your own research only. Don't publish a participant's name, face or voice without their permission.

1. Write down the decision your interviews should help you make.
2. Plan 30 to 45 minutes with five or six main questions.
3. Offer evening and weekend times.
4. Open with a proper greeting, and say who you are and why you're asking.
5. Ask about the last time something really happened.
6. Let people keep their camera off if data is tight.
7. If the call drops, wait a few minutes for them to rejoin.
8. Tell people when they'll be paid, and write your takeaways within the hour.