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Interviewing a Young Client

You will have a short time with your clients, and you may not get a second chance to ask a question you forgot.

In Good Question, Bad Question you saw that a child asked what app they want usually names a game they already play. Asked about something that actually happened, they tell you what they care about and what they find hard. Build your guide around questions like that.

You interview a small group: three or four children at once. That gives you more ideas than one child would, and it also means you have to make room for every voice.

At every visit, I watch how you work with your clients. These observations are assessment for learning.

Build your interview guide

An interview guide is the short list of questions you plan to ask, in the order you plan to ask them. Make yours on the card I give you, so you can hold it at LDPS. Write clearly enough to read it at a glance.

Start with the question you kept from Good Question, Bad Question.

At the top: how everyone gets a turn

Write down how you will make sure every child is heard. For example: go around the table in order, and start with a different child each time; or pass a marker, and whoever holds it talks.

Opening (about one minute)

  • Say your first name. Ask what they like to be called, and write down each first name.
  • Say why you are there, in words a nine-year-old understands. For example: “I’m learning to make apps, and I want to make one just for you. You’re the experts on what’s fun, so I need your ideas.”
  • Say that there are no wrong answers, that everyone gets a turn, and that anyone can say “pass”.

Questions (six to eight)

Write questions from each group below. Put the most important ones first, in case you run out of time. Each question is answered by three or four children, so six to eight is plenty. For more questions to choose from, and questions to avoid, see Interview Question Bank.

  • Things they love: “What do you like doing after school?” “If you could learn about anything at all, what would it be?”
  • Real past events: “Tell me about the last time you…” “What happened next?”
  • Things that are hard: “What’s something at school that takes you a long time?” “What’s something you wish was easier?”
  • Show me: “Can you each draw me what that looks like?” “Show me how you’d do that.”
  • Choices: “Would you rather have a game where you race the clock, or one where you take your time?”
  • Closing: “Is there anything else I should know?”

Interviewing a group

  • Give everyone a turn. For the questions that matter most, go around the group. Start with a different child each time.
  • Ask for answers before discussion. Children copy each other. For a choice, let everyone point or hold up fingers at the same time. For an idea, let everyone draw first, then show.
  • Manage a strong voice kindly. Thank a child who answers every question, then: “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a turn yet.” Never force a quiet child to answer: a pass is fine, and a drawing counts.
  • Notice differences. When two children want different things, that is information, not a problem to settle. Write both down. Your app will serve all of them.
  • Keep it moving. Attention fades after about fifteen minutes. Change what they are doing: talk, then draw, then talk.

Things that work with nine- and ten-year-olds

  • Ask one short question at a time.
  • Avoid questions they can answer with “yes” or “no”. “Do you like math?” gets you one word.
  • Go easy on “why?” Several whys in a row can feel like being in trouble. Try “What made that fun?” instead.
  • Sit at their level. Smile. Let silence sit for a few seconds: they are thinking.
  • Let them draw. I will bring paper and markers. If a child wants to write their name on a drawing, let them keep that drawing.
  • Children often say what they think you want to hear. Ask about what they did, not what they would do.
  • Do not promise features. “That’s a great idea, I’ll think about it” is honest. “I’ll build that” might not be.

Protect your clients

Before you write a single question, check it against this list. Never ask for, or write down:

  • a child’s last name, birthday, address, or phone number
  • email addresses, usernames or gamer tags
  • names of family members, or details about their family
  • anything about learning needs or diagnoses. If the LDPS teacher tells you something that affects your design (for example, “larger text would help”), write down only the design need.
  • anything that could identify a child if your notes were found by a stranger

No photos, audio or video, of anyone. Do not photograph drawings either.

At every visit:

  • No contact with your clients outside the visits: no social media, no email, no messages.
  • If a child tells you something personal or worrying, do not write it down. Tell the LDPS teacher and me straight away.

On your guide, write one sentence answering this: what could go wrong if a child’s name, school and interests ended up in an AI chat or in a public portfolio?

Taking notes

You ask the questions and take the notes yourself, so keep notes short: a word or two, then look up again.

Write each child’s first name beside what they said or did. That tells you whether an idea came from one child or from all of them. Write first names only, never a last name.

Use the notes sheet I give you. It has six columns:

Who (first name)LovesFinds hardTheir words (quotes)Their ideasWhat I noticed
  • Write short points, not sentences.
  • Put their exact words in quotation marks. Later, these quotes become your evidence for what you decide to build.
  • “What I noticed” is for things they did, not said: they got excited, they went quiet, they grabbed the marker, two of them agreed straight away.
  • First names only. Never a last name.

Before we leave, take five minutes to add anything you remember but did not write down.

Practise

Before the visit, read your guide aloud and time it. If you can, try it on a family member or a friend playing a child (never a real client). Allow for three or four answers to every question: if it runs longer than about twenty-five minutes, cut questions from the bottom.

When did we do this?