Interviewing patients taught me to interview users

The hardest interview skill I ever learned wasn't in tech — it was learning to ask patients questions that get honest answers instead of polite ones. Users and patients fail the same way: they want to be helpful, so they tell you what they think you want to hear.

The shared deceptions

"I take it exactly as prescribed" is the "I use your app daily" of healthcare. Both are usually aspirational fiction. The trained follow-up is behavioural, not attitudinal: "Walk me through yesterday — when did you take it?" Asking about the last occurrence surfaces truth; asking about habits collects self-image.

Compliance questions get compliance answers. "Would you use this?" collects enthusiasm, not intent. "How did you solve this last week?" collects evidence. The present-tense habit question and the past-tense event question are the two tools that survive contact with politeness.

Silence is data. The hesitation before "yes" and the question they ask after agreeing tell you more than the agreement itself. Patients hesitate before admitting they skipped doses; users hesitate before admitting they didn't understand the setup. Both hesitations are findings.

The transferable technique

Ask about events, not opinions. Ask about the last time, the worst time, the workarounds. Let them describe behaviour before you show them your solution — because the moment your product appears, the interview becomes a pitch and the honesty ends.

Patients and users are both trying to be good subjects. The interviewer's whole job is making honesty easier than politeness.