What to ask your customers before changing your brand
Design conversations about real decisions and turn what you hear into testable hypotheses.
Key takeaways
- Ask about a recent experience instead of requesting predictions.
- Separate what someone said from your interpretation.
- Interviews inform hypotheses; they do not represent the entire market on their own.
Before changing an identity, it helps to understand what people recognize and what makes choosing difficult. An interview can provide context that a comment such as “I like the green better” does not offer. Here we propose a conversation about concrete experiences and a way to turn what you learn into small tests.
Define the decision you want to inform
Choose a focused research question: why someone inquires but does not order, what information they need to compare options, or what they recognize about the packaging. If you try to address positioning, price, and the entire identity in one conversation, it will be difficult to go deep.
Find participants who have experienced the relevant situation, including those who chose another option when possible. Avoid recruiting only friends who want to support you. Explain how you will use the information and ask permission before recording.
Reconstruct a real experience
Start with “tell me about the last time you looked for a gift for your team.” Ask what triggered it, what they did first, which alternatives they considered, and what happened when they decided. Ask for examples and documents they are willing to share, without pressure.
GOV.UK's interview guidance recommends open-ended questions and exploring participants' experiences in depth. In practice, that means listening before presenting your solution and asking follow-up questions that clarify what happened.
Avoid questions that contain the answer
“Would a professional design make you trust us more?” invites agreement with a judgment. “What made you trust that supplier?” can reveal criteria you had not considered. The difference lies in leaving room for an unexpected answer.
When a word such as quality comes up, ask for a concrete sign: what they looked at, compared, or noticed that made them think that. Do not turn their interpretation into a universal rule; preserve the context of that purchase.
| Avoid | Ask | What it helps explore |
|---|---|---|
| Do you like our new look? | What do you think this business offers? | Spontaneous understanding |
| Would you buy if it were clearer? | What information did you look for before deciding? | Actual needs |
| Are we better than the other option? | What did you compare between the alternatives? | Selection criteria |
Organize observations, interpretations, and hypotheses
After each conversation, record facts and short quotes with appropriate permission. Write your interpretation in a separate column. Finally, propose a hypothesis you can test. Keeping these layers separate prevents presenting your own conclusion as something the person said.
Hypothetical example: someone looked for a photo of the packaged set and could not find it. Your interpretation may be that they need to picture the delivery. The hypothesis would be that showing the set helps people understand the offer. It does not yet demonstrate that sales will increase.
Turn a pattern into a limited test
Group recurring observations, including those that contradict your idea. Choose a small modification: an image, a heading, or a process explanation. Test whether new people understand that part better before changing the rest of the system.
A small sample can uncover problems and useful language, but it cannot estimate market percentages. Document whom you interviewed and which situations were left out. That limitation helps you decide what to investigate next.
Prepare your next conversation
- Write a research question and describe the experience you need participants to have.
- Prepare open questions about a recent purchase and its decisions.
- Separate notes from interpretations and choose a hypothesis to test.
Frequently asked questions
How many interviews do I need?
There is no single number that guarantees understanding a brand. Work in rounds, include relevant situations, and assess what new questions emerge. Do not turn a qualitative sample into market percentages.
Should I show the design from the start?
If you want to understand the previous experience, it is better to hear about it first. Showing a proposal at the beginning can steer the rest of the conversation toward that solution.
What if the answers contradict each other?
Check whether they relate to different situations. An urgent purchase and a planned purchase may require different information without either answer being wrong.
