What have we learned from guerrilla testing?
The market research process can be quite a challenge, especially when it involves interviewing at local businesses. In many cases, most people may be reluctant to provide information. Therefore, special skills are required to overcome the initial barrier of mistrust in cold-call interviews.
Recently, the UX Research team at Torresburriel Estudio had to face this challenge, and in this article, we have gathered all our learnings.
Below, we highlight some key aspects, suggestions, and tips for conducting effective cold-call interviews at local businesses that we consider important and should be taken into account when applying this methodology.
Distrustful owners
In Spain, a large number of business owners are over 50 years old. This segment of the population can be more suspicious of strangers, so it’s important to earn their trust before starting the interview.
In most cases, you’ll only be able to interview the owner of the establishment. This can be challenging if this person is unavailable or unwilling to cooperate. It’s crucial to seize every opportunity to explain the objectives and how their participation can aid the research.
Selection of businesses and city areas
To increase your chances of success, it’s advisable to visit businesses and areas with low foot traffic and avoid peak hours. This will provide more time to converse, usually with the business owner.
In clothing stores, restaurants, and other large businesses that have multiple employees, you may find it difficult to get attention, as the availability to deal with external people is usually limited, making it harder to complete interviews.
Timing and planning strategy
Plan your visits at key times. Avoid early mornings and midday when many businesses are closed. Instead, opt for late afternoons when there is likely more availability.
Patience and flexibility are key. Understand that some people may be busy and that you might need multiple visits to the same establishment to complete an interview. If they are not available at that time, don’t hesitate to schedule the interview for a later time if they agree.
Clear and direct presentation
The interview topic should be presented precisely from the outset to set clear expectations for the interviewee. It’s important to avoid any suggestion of product sales that could cause direct rejection, focusing instead on the users’ needs, experiences, and opinions.
Respect for privacy
It’s important to respect the privacy of the owners and employees. Some people may prefer not to sign documents or share personal information. You must ensure their participation remains anonymous and that their data is kept confidential.
All these key points are part of the “guerrilla interview” methodology, which we used tactically alongside the research we were conducting in this case.
This method involves approaching potential users in public spaces, such as parks or cafes, offering a unique opportunity to capture spontaneous and authentic insights. Guerrilla interviews stand out for their agility and ability to generate quick feedback. However, they also present the challenge of finding willing participants and managing the lack of planning.
In summary, these are the basic points for conducting guerrilla interviews:
- Strategic location selection: Choose places where your target audience carries out their daily activities.
- Brevity and clarity: Keep interactions short and clear to maintain interest.
- Consent and privacy: Ensure consent and respect the privacy of interviewees.
- Flexibility and adaptability: Adapt to different types of people and situations.
- Effective data collection: Use tools like voice recorders and quick note-taking to efficiently collect data for later, more detailed review.
In short, interviewing at local businesses and using guerrilla interviews can be challenging, and overcoming these initial difficulties requires the right strategies.
Although it may take time and effort, the information gathered from these interviews is immensely valuable for market research, which always involves challenges, but overcoming these obstacles is what allows us to gain the best insights.
This is a translation of the following article from our corporate website:
