Mission: role-play a client interview and create an empathy map. The given time was 15 minutes.
The featuring question of the interview was: Why did you take the UX Design course?
The exercise reminded me a lot of a general coaching conversation. The same “rules apply” for an interview to create a mindmap as apply for talking to a client you are coaching.
“As coaches, when we assume resourcefulness and creativity, we become curious, open to possibilities, discovering with the coachee, not dictating. We expect to be amazed.”
(Kimsey-House, Henry. Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives (p. 4). Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
In order to create an impactful mindmap, I believe though 15min are absolutely not sufficient. Also while you can scribble down some points, while you are interviewing, I believe the main job happens after the interview has concluded. Then you would order your thoughts and try to map what you’ve just heard.
While I’ve just focused on creating of the map, which is the output of the interview of course the skill at interviewing cannot be dismissed. In order to get valuable responses the interviewer must manage themselves and ask questions that will get answers that reflect the client without interference from the interviewers opinions.
Again good coaching practice can be taken as a guideline here:
“Self-management means giving up the need to look good and be right—the light should be shining on the coachee, not the coach.”
(Kimsey-House, Henry. Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives (p. 14). Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
That Mad Grinning Cat 