The document discusses the TEDW framework for conducting user interviews. TEDW stands for Tell, Explain, Describe, What. It focuses the interview on open-ended conversations where the participant tells stories about their experiences rather than simply answering direct questions. This helps reduce biases and elicits more reliable past data from participants. Examples are given showing how questions can be reframed from direct "why" questions to ones that encourage storytelling, such as asking the participant to "walk me through" or "describe" a past experience. The goal is to understand the participant's perspective rather than get a specific answer.

1. WHY I USE THE TEDW
FRAMEWORK
USER RESEARCH ACADEMY
WWW.USERRESEARCHACADEMY.COM NIKKI ANDERSON

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4TEDW

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PHRASING
WITH TEDW, I SPEND LESS TIME THINKING ABOUT
WHAT TO SAY NEXT.
THE TEDW FRAMEWORK MEANS I AM NOT ALWAYS
ASKING, “WHY, WHY, WHY” REPEATEDLY, BUT I AM
STILL ABLE TO DIG DEEPER INTO WHAT THE USER
IS SAYING.

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STORYTELLING
THIS FRAMEWORK TURNS INTERVIEWS INTO
CONVERSATIONS AND STORYTELLING. WHAT YOU
WANT AND NEED FROM USERS IS TO HAVE THEM
RECALL SPECIFIC MEMORIES AND TELL YOU
STORIES ABOUT THOSE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES.
THE TEDW FRAMEWORK ENABLES YOU TO GET
INTO THIS MINDSET. IT TAKES THE PRESSURE OFF
OF THE RESEARCHER AND THE INTERVIEWEE.

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RELAIBLE
CONVERSATIONS
THE TEDW FRAMEWORK IS NOT ABOUT ASKING
QUESTIONS, BUT ABOUT HAVING OPEN-ENDED
CONVERSATIONS. YOU ARE USING ACTIVE
LISTENING AND OPEN-ENDED STATEMENTS TO
EXTRACT STORIES FROM THEM.
USING THIS TECHNIQUE MAKES IT A LOT EASIER
FOR PARTICIPANTS TO GIVE YOU RELIABLE PAST
DATA, AS IT REDUCES BIASES THAT COME
THROUGH IN RESEARCH.

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EXAMPLE 1
ORIGINAL QUESTION:
“WHEN WAS A TIME YOU NETFLIX?”
TEDW QUESTION:
“TELL ME ABOUT THE LAST TIME YOU WATCHED
NETFLIX.”
WHY I REWROTE THIS:
IF YOU START WITH A QUESTION LIKE “WHEN WAS
THE LAST TIME…” YOU ARE NOT PROMPTING THE
USER TO TELL US ANY STORIES. YOU ARE ASKING A
SPECIFIC QUESTION. LET’S START BROAD, AND
THEN YOU CAN USE THE “WHAT, WHEN, WHERE,
HOW, WHY” TO DIG DEEPER INTO SETTING THE
SCENE.

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EXAMPLE 2
ORIGINAL QUESTION:
“WERE YOU DOING OTHER THINGS WHILE
WATCHING NETFLIX?” -> FOLLOW-UP: “WHY WERE
YOU SHOPPING ONLINE WHILE YOU WERE
WATCHING NETFLIX?
”TEDW QUESTION:
“DESCRIBE WHAT ELSE YOU WERE DOING WHILE
WATCHING NETFLIX.”
WHY I REWROTE THIS: THE ORIGINAL QUESTION IS
DIRECT. THE PERSON MIGHT NOT KNOW WHY
THEY WERE SHOPPING ONLINE WHILE WATCHING
NETFLIX. IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO KNOW FIRST
WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND TO HAVE THE
PARTICIPANT SET THE SCENE. THEN, IF YOU ARE A
TEAM THAT IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE WAY
PEOPLE GO IN AND OUT OF A SHOW, YOU CAN DIG
DEEPER INTO THAT AREA.

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EXAMPLE 3
ORIGINAL QUESTION:
“WHAT MADE YOU TURN ON NETFLIX LAST TIME?”
TEDW QUESTION:
“WALK ME THROUGH THE LAST TIME YOU STARTED
WATCHING NETFLIX.”
WHY I REWROTE IT:
YOU ARE GETTING AT A STORY WITH THE TEDW
FORMAT. YOU ARE ASKING THEM TO RECALL A
MEMORY, INSTEAD OF ASKING THEM TO ANSWER
A SPECIFIC QUESTION ON WHAT MADE THEM
TURN IT ON. WITH THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY,
THEN YOU CAN DRILL DOWN INTO SUBJECTS SUCH
AS, “WHAT WERE YOU FEELING?” “WHEN WAS
THIS?” “DESCRIBE THE SCENE FOR ME.” YOU WANT
TO FOCUS ON THE STORY THE PARTICIPANT IS
TELLING YOU, NOT THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION.

9. THANK YOU FOR
READING
USER RESEARCH ACADEMY
WWW.USERRESEARCHACADEMY.COM NIKKI ANDERSON
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