When you’re in any field for long enough, you start noticing things others miss. I remember when my dance teacher taught me about rhythm and how when you learn how to clap in time, you start to notice that audiences clap out of time, which is still a bugbear of mine.
In some ways, life was much simpler (and a little less irritating) before I knew these kinds of things. I work in research, so one that particularly gets me is the use of closed questions in podcasts, football player chats and talk shows. Of course, in those contexts, interviews are often more about PR-friendly soundbites rather than deeper insight. The hosts know exactly what they’re doing. Even so, I regularly catch myself saying, “Well, that’s a leading question” to anyone who’ll listen.
Why the way you ask questions really matters
Imagine you’re in a focus group, and the moderator asks, “Do you like this idea for the new welcoming experience at a retailer?”.
The responses roll in – some yeses, some noes, a few noncommittal shrugs… It’s easy data to tally, but it doesn’t tell you much about what really matters. Why do they like it? Why don’t they? What’s missing? What would make it better?
Think about it – what critical insight have you not given space to because you didn’t ask the right kind of question?
Now imagine that instead, the moderator asks, “Thinking about the last time you visited this retailer, what are the standout moments from the experience? These can be elements that stood out in either a positive or negative way.”
Suddenly, you’re in a very different conversation. People share their likes and dislikes, and the conversation opens up to capture even more. Suppose the welcoming experience doesn’t come up naturally; that’s a finding in itself that you can follow up on.
One answer sparks another, and insights start to emerge that could either reshape the whole experience or unearth gems you hadn’t thought of. This is the power of thoughtful, open-ended questions. They dig beneath the surface and reveal those emotionally driven, human truths that customers don’t simply offer up unprompted.
Projective techniques
Here’s another moderator secret: people aren’t good at explaining their emotions using words, even with open-ended questions. Just think about how most people answer the classic, “How are you?”. Nine times out of ten, you’ll get “fine” or “good”.
This is where projective techniques become invaluable. They shift the question onto something external which removes the discomfort of self-reflection and creates deeper, more natural conversations.
One of my favourite techniques is the Blob Tree exercise—a method rooted in child psychology. Instead of asking, “How did you feel when you stepped into the store?” (which might get you a surface-level response), show participants a cartoon tree full of expressive ‘blob people’:
You ask them to choose the blob that best represents how they felt. Once they’ve chosen, they explain how that blob is feeling rather than directly reflecting on their own emotions. This removes the self-consciousness barrier. You get richer, more meaningful conversations that uncover true emotions and deeper insights.
Getting the most out of your questions
By leaning into open-ended questions and peppering in projective techniques, you can uncover compelling insights. Here’s how:
1 – Always start with why, what or how
These open-ended starters draw out thoughtful, detailed responses that reveal real customer insights, for example:
“What would you change about your experience?” or “How does this experience compare with other retail experiences?”.
2 – Stay neutral
Avoid leading questions that nudge participants towards a particular answer. For example, instead of “What did you love about this feature?” try: “How did this feature make an impact on your experience—if at all?”.
Staying neutral reduces the chance your participants will just say what they think you want to hear.
3 – Prompts are your friend
If someone gives an unexpected answer, don’t be afraid to probe. Peeling back the layers by asking why helps uncover true motivations, feelings and behaviours.
Phrases like “Can you tell me more about that?” or “Why is that important to you?”, go a long way.
4 – Get creative with feelings
Use projective techniques like the Blob Tree, drawing exercises, or personification questions (“If our brand were a person, who would they be and why?”) to tease out those richer emotions. They’re a fun and engaging way to dig into how people really feel without putting them on the spot.
Don’t settle for the obvious
At Definition, we’re obsessed with bringing customer research to life with powerful questions. Whether it’s designing your tone of voice, understanding emotional drivers, or refining your brand strategy, we’ll help you ask the questions that matter most. And act on the answers.
Get in touchWritten by Samantha Trow, Senior Researcher at Definition
