Everyday Living Interiors

Interview script

Interview guide for v1 website evaluation
May 2026

Total time: 20–25 minutes
Concept: Everyday Living Interiors — accessible interior design service
Format: One-on-one synthetic persona interview

Before you begin — Interviewer guidance

You are conducting a qualitative evaluation interview about a real interior design website and service. The goal is to understand how this specific person experiences and reacts to the brand — not to validate the concept, but to discover genuine reactions, concerns, and needs.

Key principles:

Introduction (2–3 minutes)

Goal: Establish rapport, set expectations, create safety for honest feedback.

Say:

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I'm conducting research on behalf of a new interior design service, and I'd love to get your honest perspective.

There are no right or wrong answers here — I'm genuinely interested in your reactions, even if they're negative or uncertain. The concept is still in development, so critical feedback is just as valuable as positive feedback.

I'll start by asking you a few questions about your current living situation and how you think about your home. Then I'll share some information about this service and ask for your reactions. The whole conversation should take about 20 to 25 minutes.

Does that sound all right?"

Interviewer note: Wait for confirmation. If the persona seems guarded or formal, add: "Really, the most helpful thing you can do is be completely honest — I'm not the person who created this, so you won't hurt anyone's feelings."

Section 1: Context setting (3–4 minutes)

Goal: Understand the participant's current relationship with their home, their experience (if any) with interior design services, and their emotional baseline about domestic spaces.

Questions:

  1. "Tell me a bit about your current living situation — your home, who you live with, and how you generally feel about the space you're in."
    - Probes:

    • "When you walk through your front door at the end of the day, what's the first thing you notice?"
    • "Is there anything about your home that frustrates you, or that you wish were different?"
    • "How much time and energy do you typically spend thinking about how your home looks or feels?"

  2. "Have you ever considered getting help with your home — from a designer, a service, a friend with good taste, or even an app? What happened?"
    - Probes:

    • "What stopped you, if anything?"
    • "When you hear the words 'interior designer,' what comes to mind? What kind of person do you picture, and what kind of service do you imagine?"
    • "Do you feel that interior design services are something that's available to people in your situation?"

What to listen for:
- The emotional quality of their relationship with home — is it a source of pride, shame, indifference, stress, or comfort?
- Whether they have an existing mental model of interior design services and what that model looks like (expensive, elitist, irrelevant, aspirational)
- Specific pain points or desires they express unprompted — these become reference points when they later encounter the website
- The language they use to describe their home and needs — this reveals vocabulary gaps with ELI's current messaging

Flexibility guidance:
- If the persona has a rich, emotional relationship with their home (e.g., Charlotte, Mariana), spend more time here — these details will make their website reactions more meaningful.
- If the persona is indifferent or disengaged (e.g., Kwame), keep this brief — you will learn more from their reaction to the concept than from their current context.

Section 2: Concept presentation (2–3 minutes)

How to present:

Present the website as a narrative walkthrough. Do not simply list features — describe the experience of landing on the site and scrolling through it, as a visitor would encounter it.

Say:

"I'd like to tell you about a service called Everyday Living Interiors. It's run by a woman named Sara de Abreu, based in Amsterdam. Let me walk you through what you'd see if you visited her website.

The first thing you see is a large heading that says: 'Your Home Should Support Your Life, Not Compete With It.' Below that it says: 'Beautiful, functional homes should be accessible, not intimidating, elitist, or expensive.'

There's a photo of a warm, lived-in kitchen — wooden cabinets, a table with flowers and books, someone walking through the frame. It feels real rather than staged.

Scrolling down, you see a section called 'Real People, Real Homes' with three project examples: a full apartment redesign for a family with children in Amsterdam, a virtual consultation done in under 30 minutes by video call, and a kitchen design for a couple who liked different styles.

Then there are four services:
- The Room Reset — a 60-minute online session to help you move forward with clarity.
- The Thoughtful Edit — elevate your space with what you already have. No waste, no extra spending.
- The Design Roadmap — a full concept and design package with ideas, colours, layouts, and a shopping list.
- The Clutter Edit — help when decluttering and organising feels overwhelming.

There are client testimonials from people in the Netherlands and Belgium. One says Sara helped them create cohesion with minimal effort and expense. Another praises how she found solutions that honoured both partners' different tastes.

In the 'About' section, Sara shares that she trained at the National Design Academy but has been passionate about interiors since childhood. She says she's helped friends redesign homes, stage spaces, and rethink layouts for years. She emphasises working with what you already own and avoiding unnecessary spending.

There is no pricing information visible anywhere on the website. To get started, you fill in a contact form with your name, email, and a message.

The website's mission statement says: 'Good interior design isn't about trends or picture-perfect rooms. It's about creating spaces that feel comfortable, functional, and personal.'

That's the overview. Take a moment to let that settle."

Interviewer note: Pause here. Do not ask a question immediately. Let the persona process. Their first unprompted reaction is valuable data. If they remain silent for more than 10 seconds, gently prompt: "What's your first reaction?"

Section 3: Initial reactions and belonging (4–5 minutes)

Goal: Capture first impressions, especially around whether the participant feels this service is for them.

Questions:

  1. "What's your first, honest reaction to what I just described?"
    - Probes:

    • "What stood out to you most — positively or negatively?"
    • "Did anything surprise you?"
    • "How does this compare to what you expected when I said 'interior design service'?"

  2. "Based on what you've heard, who do you think this service is designed for? Describe that person."
    - Probes:

    • "Do you see yourself as that person? Why or why not?"
    • "What specifically makes you feel included or excluded?"
    • "If you had to guess the price range, what would you assume — and what makes you assume that?"

  3. "The tagline is 'Your Home Should Support Your Life, Not Compete With It.' What does that mean to you? Does it resonate?"
    - Probes:

    • "Can you think of a moment when your home felt like it was competing with your life rather than supporting it?"
    • "Is this message enough to make you want to learn more, or would you need something else?"

What to listen for:
- The speed and confidence of their response — hesitation signals uncertainty about whether they belong
- Whether they describe the target audience in terms that include or exclude themselves
- Price assumptions — this reveals the perception gap between ELI's actual pricing and what the website signals
- Emotional vs. rational responses — do they react to the philosophy or to the practical details?

Flexibility guidance:
- If the persona immediately says "this isn't for me," do not move on. Probe deeply: "What would need to change for it to be for you?" This is the most valuable data for the research.
- If the persona is enthusiastic, probe for specificity: "What exactly makes you feel that way?" Enthusiasm without specificity is less useful than nuanced criticism.

Section 4: Value and clarity (4–5 minutes)

Goal: Assess whether the service offerings are understood, valued, and seen as relevant.

Questions:

  1. "Looking at the four services — The Room Reset, The Thoughtful Edit, The Design Roadmap, and The Clutter Edit — can you tell me in your own words what each one involves?"
    - Probes:

    • "Which of these would be most relevant to your situation right now, and why?"
    • "Is there anything about these names or descriptions that confuses you or feels unclear?"
    • "What would you expect to receive after a session — what's the deliverable, the thing you walk away with?"

  2. "The Thoughtful Edit says 'Elevate your space with what you already have — no waste, no extra spending.' How does that land with you?"
    - Probes:

    • "Do you believe that's possible — that your current space could be significantly improved without buying new things?"
    • "Does that message make the service feel more or less valuable? Does 'no extra spending' make you trust it more or question the quality?"

  3. "There's no pricing anywhere on the website. How does that affect your experience?"
    - Probes:

    • "Does the absence of pricing make you more or less likely to fill in the contact form?"
    • "If I told you the 60-minute online session costs approximately 50 euros, how would that change your perception of the service?"
    • "Would you prefer to see prices upfront, or does contacting first feel reasonable?"

What to listen for:
- Whether personas can accurately describe the services or whether they conflate, confuse, or misunderstand them
- The "deliverable gap" — whether they understand what they'd actually receive vs. just having a conversation
- The pricing revelation moment — the shift (if any) when they learn the actual price, which tests whether visibility would change conversion
- Whether "no extra spending" is read as empowering (work with what you have) or underwhelming (is that all?)

Flexibility guidance:
- The pricing question is critical for every persona. Do not skip it. Spend time here, especially on the reaction to the €50 reveal.
- If a persona struggles to distinguish between services, this is important data — spend time understanding what's confusing rather than explaining the differences.

Section 5: Personal connection and trust (3–4 minutes)

Goal: Evaluate whether Sara's personal story and presence create genuine connection and trust.

Questions:

  1. "Sara shares that she's always made beautiful spaces even when she had very little money — that she grew up making her childhood room beautiful with whatever she had. She says she's been helping friends redesign their homes for years before making it her profession. How do you respond to that story?"
    - Probes:

    • "Does knowing this about her make you more or less likely to trust her with your home?"
    • "Does it matter to you that she's experienced your kind of constraint — limited budget, imperfect space — or is that just marketing?"
    • "Would you want to see more of Sara's personality on the website, or does the current level feel right?"

  2. "The client testimonials mention that the process felt collaborative and that Sara listened carefully to what they wanted. How important is that to you — the sense that a designer would work with your preferences rather than imposing their own?"
    - Probes:

    • "Have you ever had an experience with a professional — in any field — who didn't listen to what you actually wanted? How did that feel?"
    • "What would you need to see or hear from Sara to believe she would genuinely work with your taste rather than override it?"

What to listen for:
- Whether the personal story creates emotional resonance or feels like a marketing technique
- Trust signals — what specifically makes them trust or distrust
- The "would she understand me?" question — do they believe Sara would get their specific situation?
- Whether the collaborative framing addresses a real fear (being judged, being overridden) or feels like table stakes

Flexibility guidance:
- For personas with strong emotional connections to their home situation (Charlotte, Mariana), this section may naturally extend. Let it.
- For more rational personas (Daan, Ingrid), keep this section efficient — they care more about competence than connection.

Section 6: Barriers and action (3–4 minutes)

Goal: Identify the specific barriers to taking action and what would overcome them.

Questions:

  1. "Imagine you've just finished looking at this website. What would you do next — and be honest. Would you fill in the contact form, leave and think about it, close the tab, or something else?"
    - Probes:

    • "What's the single biggest thing holding you back?"
    • "If you were going to close the tab, what would be going through your mind as you did?"
    • "Is there anything the website could say or show that would change your mind?"

  2. "Is there anything about your home, your life, or your relationship with design that this website does not acknowledge — something that, if it did, would make you feel more seen or understood?"
    - Probes:

    • "Are there emotions connected to your home that you feel this brand doesn't speak to?"
    • "Is there a type of person, a life situation, or a challenge that you feel is missing from this website's world?"

  3. "If Sara could add one thing to her website tomorrow that would make the difference for you, what would it be?"

What to listen for:
- The hierarchy of barriers — what comes first, second, third
- Whether barriers are practical (pricing, logistics) or psychological (permission, belonging, guilt)
- Unmet emotional needs that the website does not address
- The gap between "I like this" and "I would actually do something about it"

Flexibility guidance:
- This section often produces the most actionable insights. Do not rush it.
- If a persona gives a single, surface-level barrier, probe: "And if that were solved, would you book? Or is there something else underneath?"

Closing (2–3 minutes)

Questions:

  1. "If a friend asked you 'What is Everyday Living Interiors?', how would you describe it in one or two sentences?"

  2. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely would you be to recommend this website to someone you know who is struggling with their home? What would move that number up?"

  3. "Is there anything we haven't talked about that you'd like to add — any reaction, thought, or feeling that didn't come up?"

Wrap-up:

"Thank you so much for your time and your honesty. Your feedback is genuinely valuable and will help shape how this service evolves. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective."

Post-interview notes

Key things to capture in your analysis:

Everyday Living Interiors · by Sara de Abreu