30-Minute User Interview Guide: How Freelancers Manage Invoicing Today
1. Intro Script — 3 minutes
“Thanks for speaking with me today. We’re interested in understanding how freelancers manage invoicing in their day-to-day work. This is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. We’re evaluating the process, not you.
I’ll ask about specific recent experiences, including what you did, what tools you used, and any challenges you encountered. Please avoid sharing confidential client information; you can use general descriptions or placeholders instead.
With your permission, I’d like to take notes [and record the session] so I can accurately capture what you say. Your feedback will be used for research purposes.
Do you have any questions before we begin?”
2. Warm-Up Questions — 4 minutes
“Could you briefly describe the freelance work you do?”
“About how many clients do you typically invoice in a month?”
“What tools or methods do you currently use to manage invoices and payments?”
3. Story-Based Main Questions — 20 minutes
1. Creating an invoice
“Tell me about the last time you created an invoice for a client.”
Probe follow-ups:
- What triggered you to create it?
- Where did you start?
- What information did you need?
- How did you calculate the amount?
- Did you reuse anything from a previous invoice?
- How long did the process take?
- Was anything difficult or unclear?
2. Sending an invoice
“Tell me about the last time you sent an invoice.”
Probe follow-ups:
- How did you send it?
- Why did you use that channel or tool?
- What did you include in the message?
- Did you confirm that the client received it?
- What happened immediately afterward?
3. Tracking invoice status
“Tell me about the last time you checked whether an invoice had been paid.”
Probe follow-ups:
- What prompted you to check?
- Where did you look?
- How did you know whether it was paid, pending, or overdue?
- Do you record the status