Everyday Living Interiors

Interview script — v2 website evaluation

Interview guide for v2 website evaluation
June 2026

Total time: 20–25 minutes
Concept: Everyday Living Interiors — improved website (v2)
Format: One-on-one synthetic persona interview
Context: This is a second-round evaluation. The personas have NOT seen the v1 website. They are encountering ELI for the first time through the v2 website description below. Do not reference prior interviews or previous versions.

Before you begin — Interviewer guidance

You are conducting a qualitative evaluation interview about an improved 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 an 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. 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 walk you through this service's website 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, 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 with interior design services, and their emotional baseline.

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?"
    • "Do you feel that interior design services are something that's available to people in your situation?"

Flexibility guidance:
- If the persona has a rich, emotional relationship with their home (e.g., Charlotte, Mariana), spend more time here.
- If the persona is indifferent or disengaged (e.g., Kwame), keep this brief.

Section 2: Concept presentation (2–3 minutes)

How to present:

Present the website as a narrative walkthrough. 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 Diemen, near Amsterdam. Let me walk you through what you'd see if you visited her website.

The first thing you see is a photo of a real, lived-in kitchen — wooden cabinets, a table with a half-drunk coffee and children's schoolwork, and in the background a living room where someone has clearly put thought into how things are arranged, but it's not staged or perfect. It looks like a real home.

Over this image, a large heading reads: 'Your home should support your life, not compete with it.' Below that: 'Practical, affordable interior design for real homes and real budgets. Based in Diemen. Serving Amsterdam and beyond.'

There are two buttons: 'See services and pricing' and 'Not sure where to start?'

Scrolling down, you come to a short section on a warm grey background. The heading says: 'Wherever you're starting from, that's okay.' And below it, a paragraph that reads: 'Some people come to me because they're excited about a new home. Others come because they're stuck — because their space feels wrong and they don't know why, because they've just been through a big life change, because they're embarrassed about how their home looks, or because they and their partner can't agree on anything. None of that is unusual, and none of it is a problem. I've helped people start from all of those places. Yours is valid too.'

Next comes a section called 'What I can help you with,' showing four services with prices clearly listed:

Below the services it says: 'Extra time if needed: €40/hour. All prices include VAT.'

Then there's a section specifically for couples. The heading reads: 'Do you and your partner have different styles?' It says: 'You're not the first couple to disagree about the coffee table. Or the curtains. Or everything. Design disagreements are one of the most common reasons people reach out to me — and they're one of my favourite projects. I help couples find a shared language for their home, where both people see themselves reflected. No compromises that make everyone equally unhappy. Real solutions that honour both of you.'

Below that is a 'Not sure which service is right for you?' section with three simple paths:
- 'I just need a push' → The Room Reset (€80)
- 'I want to use what I already have' → The Thoughtful Edit (€150/room)
- 'I want a full plan' → The Design Roadmap (from €250)
And: 'Still not sure? Send me a photo of your space and I'll tell you where I'd start. No obligation.'

The portfolio shows before-and-after transformations of real homes with visible budgets — for example, 'Family living room, budget under €200' or 'Studio apartment, existing furniture only, €0 spent' or 'A couple who loved minimalism and maximalism equally.' You can see the messy, cluttered 'before' next to the transformed 'after.'

In the About section, Sara shares that she's always made beautiful spaces, even when she had no money. She says: 'I know what it's like to start over in a new country, to furnish a flat on a budget, to make a rental feel like home. I know what it's like to look at a room and feel overwhelmed, or stuck, or secretly embarrassed. And I know that sometimes the hardest thing about your home isn't how it looks — it's what it represents.'

She also explains her approach: she starts with how you live, not a style. She works with what you have. She explains every decision — she never says 'trust the process.' And she specifically mentions working with couples with different tastes as one of her favourite challenges.

The contact page has a form, email, and WhatsApp options, plus a 'Just want a quick opinion?' option where you can send a photo of your space and get Sara's honest first impression for free.

At the very bottom of every page: 'Whether you're starting from scratch or building on what you've already created — you belong here.'

That's the full website. 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?"

  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?"

What to listen for:
- Whether the visible pricing changes first impressions compared to a typical design service website
- Whether they describe the target audience in terms that include or exclude themselves
- Emotional vs. rational responses — do they react to the philosophy, the prices, the emotional section, or the practical details?

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

Goal: Assess whether the services, deliverables, and pricing are understood and valued.

Questions:

  1. "Looking at the four services — The Room Reset, The Thoughtful Edit, The Design Roadmap, and The Living Space Plan — 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?"
    • "The website lists specific deliverables for each service — a PDF plan, a shopping list, before-and-after photos. Does knowing exactly what you'd receive make a difference?"

  2. "The prices are visible on the website — €80 for The Room Reset, €150 per room for The Thoughtful Edit, from €250 for The Design Roadmap. What's your reaction to those prices?"
    - Probes:

    • "Before I walked you through this website, if someone had said 'interior designer,' what price range would you have assumed?"
    • "Do these prices make the service feel more accessible? Or do they raise any concerns — for example, about quality?"
    • "Does having prices visible on the website affect your trust in the service?"

  3. "The Thoughtful Edit says Sara transforms your space using only what you already own — no purchases required. 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 'no extra spending' make you trust it more or question the quality?"

What to listen for:
- Whether visible pricing resolves the access barrier or creates new concerns (e.g., too cheap = low quality?)
- Whether deliverable specificity changes engagement
- The gap between assumed design pricing and ELI's actual pricing — how large is it?

Flexibility guidance:
- The pricing reaction is critical for every persona. Spend time here.
- If a persona says the price seems 'too low,' explore this — it tests Ingrid's credibility concern from the research.

Section 5: Emotional resonance and personal connection (3–4 minutes)

Goal: Evaluate whether the emotional messaging and Sara's story create genuine connection and trust.

Questions:

  1. "The website has a section near the top that says 'Wherever you're starting from, that's okay' — and mentions people coming from shame, life changes, embarrassment, or disagreements with a partner. How do you respond to that?"
    - Probes:

    • "Does that feel genuine or performative?"
    • "Is there anything in your own situation that that section speaks to?"
    • "Does it change how you feel about the rest of the website?"

  2. "Sara shares that she knows what it's like to feel overwhelmed, stuck, or secretly embarrassed about her home — and that 'sometimes the hardest thing about your home isn't how it looks, it's what it represents.' How does that land?"
    - Probes:

    • "Does knowing this about her make you more or less likely to trust her?"
    • "Does it matter to you that she's experienced constraint herself — limited budget, starting over — or does that just feel like marketing?"

  3. "The website also shows design reasoning in its portfolio case studies — explaining why a shelf was moved, why certain colours work together, what spatial principle was applied. Does that affect how you perceive Sara's expertise?"
    - Probes:

    • "Is it important to you that a designer can explain their thinking, or do you just want results?"
    • "Does this combination of warmth and demonstrated expertise feel natural, or does one undermine the other?"

What to listen for:
- Whether the emotional acknowledgement section resonates or alienates
- Whether the warmth-authority balance works — or whether one side dominates
- Trust formation: what specifically builds or erodes trust?

Flexibility guidance:
- For emotionally motivated personas (Charlotte, Mariana), this section may naturally extend. Let it.
- For rational evaluators (Daan, Ingrid, Tom), focus more on the authority/expertise questions.
- For the couples persona, explore whether the couples section felt directly relevant.

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 browsing this website on your phone. What would you do next — and be honest. Would you book a service, send a photo for a quick opinion, save the website for later, or close the tab?"
    - Probes:

    • "What's the single biggest thing holding you back, if anything?"
    • "Is there anything the website could add or change that would move you from 'maybe' to 'yes'?"
    • "Would you share this website with someone else? Who, and why?"

  2. "The website has a low-barrier option: 'Send me a photo of your space and I'll tell you where I'd start — free, no obligation.' Does that change anything for you?"
    - Probes:

    • "Would you actually use that option? What would stop you?"
    • "Is a free first opinion a good entry point, or does it feel gimmicky?"

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

  4. "If Sara could add one more thing to this website that would make the difference for you, what would it be?"

What to listen for:
- Whether the conversion barriers have shifted compared to what previous research identified
- Whether the low-barrier entry point (free photo opinion) works as an on-ramp
- Remaining gaps in emotional or practical messaging
- The referral question — would they share this, and with whom?

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's struggling with their home? What would move that number up?"

  3. "And for yourself — on a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to actually take action after seeing this website? What would move that number?"

  4. "Is there anything we haven't talked about that you'd like to add?"

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:

Everyday Living Interiors · by Sara de Abreu