How to Conduct Simple User Interviews to See if People Will Actually Use Your Mobile App

Key Takeaways:

• Validate Before You Build: Early user interviews are a powerful, low-cost way to confirm that your mobile app idea solves a real problem and has genuine demand. Talking directly to potential users can save you from building an app nobody wants, which is a top reason nearly 42% of startups fail. By validating interest upfront, you avoid wasting tens of thousands of dollars on development for an unneeded product.
• Focus on Problems, Not Your Pitch: In these interviews, let the user do the talking. Ask open-ended questions about their current challenges and how they solve them, instead of pitching your app or asking “Would you use my app if it did X?”. This approach uncovers honest feedback and real pain points, rather than polite answers you want to hear.
• Start Small and Listen for Patterns: You don’t need a huge sample – interview ~5–10 people who match your target audience. If you start hearing the same themes and reactions repeatedly, you’ve likely reached a point of insight saturation. Use those recurring insights to refine your app idea (or pivot it), ensuring you build something people will truly use.

Launching a new app is exciting – but before you spend time and money coding, how can you be sure people will actually use it? The hard truth is that most apps don’t succeed. Research shows around 90% of startups ultimately fail, and the #1 reason is building something with no market need. No business wants to pour resources into developing a mobile app only to hear crickets upon launch. Even a basic app can cost tens of thousands of dollars to build, so it’s just good business sense to validate that your concept resonates with real users before you write a single line of code.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to validate an app idea early is by talking directly to your potential users. As the famous startup mantra goes, “get out of the building” and engage with the people who might use your app. User interviews let you step into your customers’ shoes and understand their needs, frustrations, and decision-making process. Rather than guessing or assuming what users want, you’re getting insights straight from the source. These conversations can reveal whether your idea truly addresses a pain point, how users currently cope without your app, and what would motivate them to try a new solution. In short, user interviews are a reality check – a way to confirm if your app idea is solving a meaningful problem and offering value that people care about.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to conduct simple user interviews to validate your mobile app idea. The focus is on early-stage, informal interviews you can do before any development, across any app category. You’ll learn how to prepare for the interviews, what questions to ask (and which to avoid), how to find people to talk to, and how to interpret the feedback you get. By the end, you should have a clear method to answer the million-dollar question: “Will people actually use my app?” – and the confidence to move forward (or the wisdom to rethink your idea) based on real user input.

Sitting down with potential users in an informal setting – even over a cup of coffee – can reveal candid insights about whether your app idea addresses their needs. Casual user interviews encourage honest, open feedback that you might not get through surveys alone.

1. Set Clear Objectives and Identify Your Target Users

Before conducting any interviews, take a step back and define what you want to learn and whom you need to talk to. Going in with clear objectives and the right audience will make your interviews far more productive.

Clarify Your Assumptions: What big questions are you trying to answer with these interviews? For example, you might want to confirm that your target users have the problem your app aims to solve, or find out how they currently handle that problem. Write down your key assumptions about the user, the problem, and why they’d use your app. These will guide your interview questions. (e.g., “I assume busy parents struggle to organize their kids’ schedules and would use a simple mobile tool to coordinate.”) Having defined learning goals ensures you stay on track during interviews and focus on validating core assumptions rather than wandering off-topic.

Define Your Ideal User: Be as specific as possible about who your target customer is. What characteristics do they have? If your app is for small business accounting, are you targeting independent bookkeepers? Restaurant owners? “Consumers aged 18–24” is too broad – narrow it down. Consider factors like age, profession, tech savvy, industry, or any trait relevant to your app’s use case. For instance, if you’re building a fitness app, your target might be “working professionals in their 30s who want quick at-home workouts.” Sketch out one or two user personas that represent your ideal users (including their goals and pain points). This will help you recruit the right people to interview and frame questions in a way that relates to their lives.

Ensure the Problem is Real: It’s wise to validate the problem itself before selling people on your solution. Take your core problem statement – e.g. “Busy parents find it hard to coordinate after-school activities” – and ask a few people who match your target profile if this is a significant pain point for them. Sometimes entrepreneurs perceive a problem that potential users don’t actually feel acutely. Use initial conversations to make sure the need is genuine. If your target interviewees shrug off the problem (“It’s not that big a deal” or “I already have a system that works”), that’s a red flag you may need to rethink your app’s focus. No pain = no product need. On the other hand, if you hear excitement or “yes, I do struggle with that,” you’ve confirmed a real user need worth addressing.

Taking the time to pinpoint who you should interview and what you hope to learn will make the rest of the process much smoother. You’ll avoid interviewing the wrong people or asking irrelevant questions. As a result, the insights you gather will be directly actionable for validating (or refining) your app idea.

2. Recruit a Handful of Potential Users (5–10 is a Good Start)

Now that you know your target audience, the next step is to find a small sample of real people in that audience to talk to. User interviews don’t require huge numbers – in fact, you’ll get diminishing returns after a point. Aim to start with about 5 to 10 interviews with individuals who match your target user profile. This number is usually enough to uncover the major trends and sentiments without overwhelming you with data. In qualitative research, it’s often observed that after a certain number of interviews, you reach a “saturation” point where you’re hearing similar feedback each time. When additional interviews aren’t revealing new insights, you can feel confident you’ve learned the key things.

How do you find people to interview? Here are some practical recruiting tips:

Leverage Your Network: Start with people you know (friends, colleagues, existing customers or social media contacts) who fit the profile, or who might know someone who does. A warm introduction can make someone more willing to chat. For example, if your app targets teachers, ask any teacher acquaintances or post on your LinkedIn mentioning you’d love to speak with a few teachers about a new idea. You might be surprised how many are willing to help if you ask sincerely.

Go Where Your Users Are: If you don’t have direct connections, think about where your target users hang out – online or offline. This could be forums, subreddit communities, Facebook or LinkedIn groups, Slack channels, or local meetups related to the problem area. For instance, for a fitness app you might find willing interviewees in a Facebook group for home workout enthusiasts. For a B2B app, you might reach out to members of a professional association or a niche forum. Join the conversation in those places (authentically) and mention you’re looking to learn from users about X problem. You can also use platforms like Reddit to solicit feedback (e.g., r/startups or domain-specific subreddits), but be transparent about your intentions and follow community rules.

Offer a Small Incentive if Needed: People are busy, so it can help to offer a token of appreciation for their time – for example, a $20 gift card, a free coffee, or a discount on your future app. Incentives aren’t always necessary (especially if someone is naturally interested in your idea), but they can boost response rates when asking strangers for 30 minutes of their time. Even just covering their coffee or providing a small Amazon gift card can make a difference. Emphasize that you value their insights. On the flip side, don’t worry if someone declines or doesn’t respond – it’s normal. Just reach out to another candidate.

Screen for Relevance: When strangers volunteer, it’s okay to ask a couple of quick questions upfront to confirm they actually fit your target user criteria. You don’t want to spend an interview only to realize the person isn’t really your intended audience. For example, if your app is for small retail business owners, ensure your interviewee indeed owns or manages a retail shop (and isn’t, say, a software developer with a very different perspective). You might do this via a short online screener or a few email questions (e.g., “What’s your role? How do you currently handle [the problem]? Are you open to trying new solutions?”). This helps filter out people who won’t provide relevant feedback.

Use Scheduling and Keep It Brief: When someone agrees to talk, schedule a 30-minute phone or video call (or meeting) at a time convenient for them. Thirty minutes is often ideal – it’s short enough that it’s easy to say yes to, but long enough to get into detail. In some cases, interviews can extend to 45–60 minutes if the participant is especially engaged, but be mindful of the time you asked for. Let them know you’ll keep it to the agreed time. If the conversation is going great, you can always ask if they’re okay extending a bit, but be prepared to wrap up on time out of respect for their schedule.

As you recruit, aim for a diverse mix within your target group. If your app could serve multiple user segments, try to interview a few people from each major segment. For example, an app for both parents and teachers might warrant talking to some of each, since their perspectives could differ. You don’t need dozens of interviews per segment – even 3–4 from each subgroup can surface unique insights.

Finally, remember that quality matters more than quantity. Talking to five carefully chosen, representative users will yield far more value than thirty random people who don’t really experience the problem. With a solid handful of interviews lined up, you’re ready for the fun part – the conversations themselves.

3. Craft an Interview Guide with Open-Ended Questions (and Avoid Bias)

Having a game plan for your interview will help ensure you cover all your important topics without leading the witness. The best user interviews feel like natural conversations, but they’re anchored by thoughtful, open-ended questions that get the interviewee to open up. Here’s how to prepare your discussion guide:

Start with Easy Ice-Breakers: Begin the interview with a couple of simple, broad questions to put the person at ease. You might ask them to tell you a bit about themselves or their work/life as it relates to the problem area. For example, “Can you walk me through a typical day managing your boutique?” if your app relates to small business operations. Or “What tools or apps do you currently use for fitness tracking?” if you’re exploring a fitness app. These are non-threatening and get them talking in general terms. They also give you context about their background and behavior.

Focus on the Problem and Current Solutions: Your core questions should probe how the person currently experiences the problem and what they do about it today. Encourage storytelling: “Tell me about the last time you [experienced X challenge]. What happened? How did you handle it?” If your app idea is meant to solve a pain point, get them to describe that pain in their own words. For instance: “What’s the hardest part about keeping track of your expenses?” or “How do you feel about the solutions you use now for this? What do you like or dislike about them?” These questions dig into their needs, frustrations, and workarounds without any mention of your idea yet. You’re essentially getting a window into their life and gauging if the problem is as painful as you think.

Keep Questions Open-Ended and Neutral: The way you phrase questions is critical. Avoid leading questions that push the interviewee toward a particular answer, and avoid yes/no questions unless you really only need a binary answer. For example, asking “Would this product be useful to solve your problem?” is not a good question – it practically begs for a positive answer and doesn’t reflect real usage. The person, wanting to be polite, might say “Sure, sounds useful,” which tells you nothing reliable. Similarly, “How much more would you pay for a faster solution?” forces them to speculate about hypothetical behavior, which often yields inaccurate data. Instead, frame questions to get factual stories or feelings: “How do you currently do X, and what are the biggest challenges?” or “Can you describe the last time you tried to do Y and ran into difficulties?” If you catch yourself about to ask “Would you…?” or “Do you think…?”, try rephrasing to “How do you…?”, “Why…?”, or “Tell me about when…”. This encourages interviewees to provide detailed, concrete answers that are far more valuable.

Avoid Showing Your Solution Too Early: It’s usually best not to start by pitching your app idea or showing a prototype right off the bat. If you reveal your concept too soon, people’s answers might start revolving around your idea (“Oh yes, I would use that!”) rather than giving you an unbiased view of their reality. First, get them talking about their problems and current habits with no influence. Later in the interview, once you’ve heard their perspective, you can float your app concept to gauge their reaction (more on that in the next section). This way, you get both an unfiltered look at their needs and their feedback on your idea.

Include a Few “What if…” Questions (Gently): After discussing their current process, you can ask hypothetical questions to explore gaps or potential improvements, but frame them carefully. For example: “If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing that would make [the task] easier for you?” This invites them to imagine an ideal solution without you saying it. Or, “If you could change anything about how you do [task], what would you change?” These questions get them to articulate in their own words what a great solution might look like, which you can later compare to your app idea. Just be cautious: avoid phrasing that sounds like you’re looking for praise for your (unstated) idea. Keep it about their desires and pain points.

Test Your Questions in Advance: It’s a great idea to do a trial run of your interview with a friend or colleague (ideally someone somewhat similar to your target user, if possible). After a practice interview, ask them if any questions were confusing or leading. Did certain wording make them pause? Did you accidentally ask two questions at once (“double-barreled” questions)? Getting feedback on your interview guide can help you tweak questions for clarity. Sometimes just reordering questions can make the conversation flow better. The goal is to ensure your questions prompt the type of responses you’re looking for. If your test participant keeps asking “Do you mean…?” or gives one-word answers, you may need to refine the phrasing.

Remember, your interview guide is just that – a guide, not a script set in stone. Be ready to go off-script if the conversation leads somewhere interesting. You might have a list of 10 questions but find that a spontaneous follow-up question yields the best insight of the day. That’s fine! As long as you cover the essentials, it’s okay if the discussion takes a natural course. The preparation simply ensures you won’t blank out or forget to ask something important. Armed with a solid set of open-ended questions, you’re set to get the most out of each interview.

4. Conduct the Interview: Listen More, Talk Less (and Don’t Pitch)

The day has come to actually interview a potential user – now it’s time to build rapport and let them share their story. Keep in mind the purpose of these interviews: you’re here to learn, not to convince. Approach each conversation with empathy, curiosity, and an open mind. Here are tips for running a successful user interview:

Set a Friendly, Comfortable Tone: At the start of the call or meeting, briefly introduce yourself and thank them for taking the time. Explain why you’re speaking with them: for example, “I’m working on an idea to improve how parents coordinate kids’ activities, and I really want to understand how you do this today and what challenges you face. There are no right or wrong answers – I’m just looking to learn from your experiences.” Emphasize that you’re not selling anything, and their honest feedback is extremely valuable. This helps the interviewee relax and speak freely. If it’s in-person (or video), a little small talk (“How’s your day going?”) doesn’t hurt to build rapport, as long as you keep within your time window.

Let Them Do Most of the Talking: This point can’t be stressed enough. A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule – aim for the interviewee to talk 80% of the time, and you only 20%. Start with your open-ended questions (from the guide you prepared) and then really listen. Use active listening cues like “Mm-hmm” and nods, and encourage them to keep going with prompts like “Can you tell me more about that?” or “What happened next?”. If they give a brief answer, follow up: “Interesting, why do you do it that way?” or “How did you feel when that happened?” Your job is to dig deeper wherever something piques your interest or seems important. Often, the first answer is just the surface; the real insight comes two or three “why?” questions later. By letting the user lead the conversation, you’ll uncover details that you might never have thought to ask about.

Resist the Urge to Correct or Pitch: Sometimes you’ll hear an interviewee say something that you know your app idea would solve beautifully – and you might feel an impulse to jump in and say, “Oh, but my app will do that for you!” Avoid this. Keep your poker face. In these initial interviews, you are primarily a fact-finder, not a salesperson. If you interject with a pitch or try to explain your idea mid-interview, two things happen: (1) you bias their feedback (they may start saying they like your idea just to be nice), and (2) you shift the focus from their experience to your product, which means you stop learning about them. So even if they describe a problem and you’re internally thinking “Yes! That’s what my app fixes,” hold off. Take notes, and save your solution for later in the chat. The exception is if the person directly asks, “So what’s your idea?” early on – you can deflect lightly by saying, “I have some ideas, but I’d love to hear a bit more about your experience first to make sure I’m on the right track.” Most people will understand and continue sharing.

Introduce Your App Concept Near the End: After you’ve gathered plenty of insight about their current methods and pain points, you can gently float your solution idea to see how it lands. Transition with something like, “It’s interesting to hear how you handle this. We’ve been thinking about a new app that could [brief one-liner of what it does]. I’m curious about your honest reaction – do you think something like that might be useful for you?”. Then zip it and listen carefully to both their words and tone. Are they enthusiastic (“I would use that right now!”) or do they seem unsure or lukewarm? If they respond with something like, “Hmm, I guess it could help, but I’m not sure I’d bother,” that’s a sign you need to probe more or that your value proposition isn’t compelling yet. Follow up with questions: “What about it do you find (useful/not useful)?”, “How do you imagine this fitting into what you do?”. If they say something like, “Could it also do X?” or start imagining using it, that’s a great indicator of interest (they’re already picturing it in their life). On the other hand, if you sense hesitation, ask “What would hold you back from trying something like this?” – sometimes the answer might reveal a deal-breaker feature or a missing element. The key here is to not sell or defend your idea. Encourage honesty: make it clear they won’t hurt your feelings by being critical. In fact, explicitly saying “Feel free to be blunt – the more I know, the better I can make this” can open the door to valuable criticism.

Observe Reactions and Ask for Examples: Pay attention not just to what they say, but how they say it. Did their eyes light up or voice get excited when talking about a particular problem or when you mentioned a feature? Excitement is a positive signal. Conversely, if they frown, pause a long time, or sound doubtful, gently inquire: “I noticed you hesitated – what are your thoughts?” or “You seem unsure, can you tell me why?”. Sometimes body language or vocal tone can reveal feelings that words don’t. If you’re doing a video call, these cues are easier to catch than on a phone call. Also, feel free to ask for specific examples: “You mentioned last week you missed an appointment because of scheduling issues. What happened there?” The richer the story, the better you can understand the user’s mindset.

Encourage Critique and “Wish Lists”: One technique to get honest input is to ask what they would change about your concept. For instance: “What do you think is the most useful part of this idea? And what’s the least useful or most worrisome part?”. Or “If you could add or change something about this concept, what would it be?”. This invites them to become a co-creator in a sense and surface any reservations. Maybe they say, “It would be great if it also did X,” or “I don’t see myself using it in situation Y.” All this feedback is gold – it shows you what features or positioning might make the app more appealing. Even negative feedback is valuable; if an interviewee flat out says, “To be honest, I wouldn’t use an app for that,” that’s tough to hear, but it can save you from pursuing a flawed idea. Politely dig into why: “No problem, this is exactly why I’m chatting with you. Can you elaborate on why it wouldn’t be useful for you?” Their answer might reveal a mistaken assumption on your part, or maybe they’re not actually in your target demographic. Either way, it’s better to learn this now than after you launch.

Take Good Notes (or Record): During the interview, try to write down key quotes or points (with permission, you can even record the conversation so you don’t miss anything – just be sure to ask first and explain it’s for note-taking). It can be hard to scribble detailed notes while actively listening, so if possible, record audio or have a colleague sit in to take notes. That way you can stay engaged. If you are solo and not recording, don’t stress about writing every word – jot bullet points of important insights or exact phrases that strike you. Immediately after the interview, take 5–10 minutes to write a brief recap of what you learned while it’s fresh: What seemed to matter most to the user? Did they express a clear need or interest (or lack thereof)? Any direct quotes that were especially positive or negative about your idea? These notes will be incredibly useful when you later analyze all interviews together.

Mind the Time and Wrap Up Graciously: Keep an eye on the clock so you cover your main questions in the allotted time. If you reach the end of the scheduled time and still have more to ask, check with the interviewee if they’re okay to continue a bit longer – but be understanding if they cannot. When concluding, thank them warmly and ask if it’s okay to contact them again if you have a follow-up question or if you build something they could try out. Many people will say yes, which is great (you may find your first beta testers this way!). Finally, if you promised an incentive, send it promptly with a thank-you note. A positive experience for them means they’re more likely to be open to helping you again or giving candid feedback on a prototype down the line.

Throughout all these conversations, keep reminding yourself: stay curious and open-minded. You might hear things that challenge your idea or assumptions – that’s a good thing. The point of user interviews is to discover the truth, not to get validation for a preconceived notion. Sometimes an interview will veer in an unexpected direction; follow it if it’s yielding insight. You can always reel it back to your questions if needed. By actively listening and creating a safe space for honest input, you’ll gather the kind of deep qualitative insights that no survey or market report can provide. This is the raw material for making your app idea stronger.

5. Analyze the Feedback and Refine Your App Idea

After conducting a round of user interviews, you’ll probably have a pile of notes, quotes, and gut impressions. Now it’s time to make sense of it all. The value of these interviews comes from distilling the common learnings and using them to iterate on your idea or validate that you’re on the right path. Here’s how to effectively analyze and act on the feedback:

Look for Patterns and Common Themes: Lay out all your interview notes and start identifying trends. What issues or pain points were mentioned by almost everyone? Did multiple people express the same frustration, like “keeping track of receipts is a nightmare” or “I always forget to follow up with clients”? Those are strong signals of real, widespread needs. Also note if many interviewees independently came up with a similar wish or suggestion (e.g., several people said they’d love a feature that does X). If 8 out of 10 users all complained about the same problem, that’s likely the problem your app must solve well. Conversely, if only one person out of ten had a particular opinion, it might be an outlier – you can decide how much weight to give it, depending on how closely that person matches your ideal customer profile.

Assess Genuine Interest vs. Polite Praise: Reflect on the reactions when you introduced your app concept. Did you hear actual excitement or just mild polite responses? There’s a difference between “Yeah, that sounds cool” (which is easy to say, but may not mean they’d actually use it) and “When can I have this? I need it!”. Give more weight to concrete enthusiastic responses like people asking to be a tester, wanting to sign up on the spot, or saying things like “I would definitely use that because ____”. Those indicate true validation. If most people were lukewarm or unsure – “I guess I might try it” – that suggests your idea didn’t fully hit the mark, or they didn’t perceive enough value. That’s a sign to iterate either on the concept or how you communicate it. It can be helpful to actually tally responses or categorize them (e.g., 3 out of 6 small business owners said they’d use it daily, 2 were maybes with some concerns, 1 said no need). This rough quantification of qualitative data can clarify your next move.

List Out Key Learnings: Summarize the findings from your interviews in a structured way. For instance, make three lists: Pain Points, Desired Benefits/Features, and Feedback on Your Solution. Populate these lists with bullets backed by multiple users’ input. For example, under Pain Points you might write: “– Time-consuming to enter data: nearly everyone mentioned manual data entry is too slow; – Disorganized process: many have information scattered in emails and spreadsheets,” etc. Under Desired Features: “– Automation of X task was suggested by 4 users; – Reminder notifications mentioned by 3 users,” and so on. Seeing it written out this way helps you concretely identify what your app must do to be useful, and what might delight users. It also highlights any misalignment (“We thought feature A was crucial, but nobody cared; instead users kept asking for feature B.”).

Revisit Your Value Proposition and Prototype (If Needed): Armed with your interview insights, go back to your app concept and see how well it aligns with reality. You might find you need to tweak your value proposition – maybe users emphasized a benefit you hadn’t focused on, or they didn’t value something you thought was key. For example, suppose you pitched an app as a scheduling tool, but users seemed more excited about the automatic reminders it could send – you might reposition the app primarily as a reminder tool that also handles scheduling, because that’s what people really want. It’s better to pivot on paper now than after writing code. If you had any early sketches or a prototype, update them to reflect what you’ve learned. You could even do another quick round of feedback on the revised concept, perhaps showing a simple mockup to a couple of your interviewees: “Based on what you and others said, I’ve adjusted the idea like this – what do you think now?”. This iterative approach ensures you’re honing in on a solution that truly resonates.

Decide: Proceed, Pivot, or Pause: Ultimately, the goal of these interviews is to inform your decision on how to move forward. There are a few possible outcomes:

• Strong Validation: If most of your target users said in one way or another, “Yes, I need this” (and especially if a few practically asked for it yesterday), that’s a green light. You’ve got evidence of real demand. Your next step might be to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or run broader tests, knowing you’re on the right track. Consider working with experienced mobile app developers to bring your validated concept to life. 
• Mixed Signals: If the feedback was lukewarm or varied – some interest, some disinterest – you likely have more work to do. It could mean your target audience needs refinement (maybe some segments care, others don’t), or that the concept needs tweaking to better solve a pain. In this case, consider pivoting aspects of your idea. Is there a subset of users who were very keen? Focus on them and adjust the app to their needs. Or incorporate the common suggestions you heard and then perhaps validate again. It might also be worth doing a few more interviews or a survey to resolve any uncertainties. Don’t be afraid to iterate; many successful apps underwent several concept changes early on based on user feedback. 
• Negative/No Validation: If the overwhelming response was “I wouldn’t use this” or “I don’t really have that problem”, then you’ve hit an important (if disappointing) discovery: your current app idea, as it stands, might not have a market. The good news is you discovered this before spending months and money building it. At this juncture, you might choose to go back to the drawing board – perhaps pick a new idea or a different problem to solve – or identify a different target user who actually does have the problem. Sometimes a “failure” in validation is the best lesson, pointing you toward a more viable opportunity. As one Dogtown Media research team mantra goes, “Measure twice, cut once.” Doing these interviews is the measuring; if the measurements show the cloth won’t fit, better to adjust now than to cut and waste material later. 

Combine Interviews with Other Validation Methods: User interviews are a fantastic qualitative tool, but remember you can bolster your validation with additional techniques. For instance, if interviews were promising, you might next build a landing page describing your app and see if people sign up (a “smoke test”), or create a quick interactive prototype to observe how users behave with it. Surveys can supplement interviews to get broader input on specific questions that emerged. (Ex: after hearing positive feedback, you might run a survey asking a wider group “How likely would you use an app that does X?” to quantify interest.) Each method – interviews, surveys, prototypes – will give you different insights. Together, they paint a fuller picture. Dogtown Media’s own guide on idea validation covers several of these low-cost testing methods if you want to explore further.

In the end, taking action on what you learned is what makes user interviews so worthwhile. You’re not doing this research for a report to sit on a shelf; you’re using it to shape a product that has a far greater chance of success. Whether it’s a minor tweak or a major pivot, let the voice of the customer guide your next steps. If you proceed to development, you’ll do so with confidence that there’s a real audience out there eager for your app. And if you decided not to pursue the idea, you’ve still gained invaluable knowledge (and probably saved yourself a small fortune).

Early user interviews can feel like shining a flashlight in the dark – suddenly, you can see where to step and where the obstacles are. By investing a little time to talk with real users, you’ve de-risked your app journey in a big way. It’s a simple technique, but one that could make the difference between a product that flops and one that finds its market fit.

FAQ: Early-Stage User Interviews for App Validation

Q1: How many user interviews should I conduct to validate my app idea?

A: You don’t need dozens of interviews – usually 5 to 10 well-chosen interviews will reveal the major insights. In fact, research in UX suggests that after a certain point, each additional interview yields diminishing new information. Many experts recommend interviewing until you reach saturation, which is the point where you start hearing the same feedback repeatedly. Often, founders find that by the time they’ve talked to ~8–12 people, strong patterns have emerged and new interviews aren’t adding much new. If you have multiple distinct user personas, try to do a few interviews per persona. But overall, quality matters more than quantity – a handful of deep conversations with the right users is far more illuminating than superficial answers from 100 random folks.

Q2: Whom should I interview for feedback?

A: Focus on people who match your target customer profile as closely as possible. That means they experience the problem your app aims to solve or would realistically be in the market for your solution. Define the criteria (e.g. job role, demographic, behaviors) that describe your ideal user and recruit individuals that fit those. For example, if your app is for freelance graphic designers, interview freelance designers – not just any freelancer or any graphic artist, but those who hit both marks. You can find candidates via your personal network, professional groups, online communities, or by asking for referrals. In a pinch, you could also interview people who aren’t exact matches but share similar traits (say, any freelancer who manages clients) to get proxy feedback – but put more weight on input from those who truly resemble your target users. The closer the interviewee is to your end-user, the more relevant their insights.

Q3: What questions should I ask (or avoid asking) in these interviews?

A: Ask open-ended questions about the user’s experiences, needs, and pain points related to the problem you’re addressing. Good questions start with “how,” “what,” “why,” “tell me about…”. For example: “How do you currently handle [the task]?”, “What’s the biggest challenge you face with [problem]?”, “Can you walk me through the last time that happened?”. Encourage storytelling and dig for specifics (“why is that hard?” “what do you mean by X?”). Avoid leading or hypothetical questions that bias the answer. A big no-no is asking something like “If there was an app that did ___, would you use it?” – people will often say yes hypothetically, but it doesn’t predict real behavior. Similarly, don’t ask for vanity confirmation such as “Do you think my idea is good?”. Instead, focus on understanding their perspective: “What solutions have you tried? What works or doesn’t?”. If you do present your concept, ask for critique: “What concerns would you have about this?” or “Which part of this sounds most useful (or least useful) to you?”. This way, you’ll get actionable feedback rather than just polite praise.

Q4: Do I need some kind of prototype or demo to show during the interview?

A: Not in the very early stages. You can absolutely conduct effective user interviews armed with nothing more than your concept description and questions. In fact, it’s often beneficial to start with just conversation, so you don’t accidentally lead the interviewee with a specific design. Early on, simply talking through the problem and idea is enough to gauge interest and get feedback. As you progress, having a simple visual aid can help – for example, a sketch or a couple of mock-up screens – but it’s not required for initial validation. Many founders validate ideas through discussions and maybe a landing page test before building any prototype. If you do reach a point where multiple people are responding very positively, that’s a great time to invest a little effort in a basic prototype or wireframes to test usability questions in follow-up interviews. But remember, the goal is to learn, not to impress – a rough drawing on paper or a PowerPoint slide can often convey the idea well enough for feedback if needed.

Q5: Should I offer incentives to people I’m interviewing?

A: It’s not strictly required, but offering a small incentive is a nice gesture that can improve your response rate, especially with participants who don’t know you personally. Many startups will give something like a $10–$30 gift card, a discount on the future product, or even just buy the person lunch or coffee during the meeting. This signals that you value their time. For professionals or harder-to-reach audiences, incentives can be important – for example, busy executives might only spare time if there’s a gift card or donation to charity offered. If your interviewees are people who love giving feedback or are inherently interested in your idea (say, members of an online community about the problem), you might find them willing without any incentive. Another non-monetary “incentive” is simply to make the interview enjoyable – people often appreciate being heard about their frustrations and involved in shaping a new solution. In summary, you don’t have to break the bank on incentives, but a thoughtful token of appreciation can make it easier to recruit participants and leave them with a positive impression of you and your budding brand.

By following the steps above and listening carefully to your users, you’ll significantly increase the chances that your mobile app will hit the mark. Remember, great apps solve real problems and delight their users – and the easiest way to ensure yours does that is to involve real users from the start. These simple interviews are your early warning system and your guiding star, all in one. They’ll tell you if you’re onto something people actually want, and often how to make it even better. So before you dive into development, take the time to have those conversations. As we often remind our clients at Dogtown Media, a few candid user interviews early on can save you from costly mistakes and steer you toward a product that truly resonates. Whether you’re developing a healthcare app, a fintech solution, or an innovative IoT application, user validation is essential. Good luck, and happy interviewing!