Inviting Depth

"Practical, compassionate, and profoundly human, this book shows how small gestures—curiosity, transparency, humility—can unlock the depth every researcher seeks. It's a reminder that genuine connection is the most powerful research tool we have. In particular, as technology transforms how we gather insights, it reaffirms that empathy and presence remain irreplaceable."

–Nicole Bacchus, Senior Director of Research, Thumbtack

"A groundbreaking book with clear, practical techniques for making the participant's experience of an interview better for opening up and sharing more."

–Steve Portigal, Author of Interviewing Users

"Inviting Depth offers an indispensable path to put humanity back into research when it's needed most. The authors share 28 smart, practical techniques for practicing empathy—ones that reveal not just participant truths, but researcher truths too. It's a refreshing invitation to slow down, connect deeply, and rediscover the joy and meaning that come from truly seeing the people we study."

–John Douglass, Senior Director, Consumer Insights, Nike

"In Inviting Depth, Berry and Williams turn UX research best practices back on themselves, asking the question, 'What kind of user experience are we really creating for our participants?' What follows is a refreshing, rich, and actionable guidebook for taking full advantage of interview methods by taking care of participants—an excellent resource for research practitioners, designers, educators, and students alike."

–Will Notini, UChicago Lecturer & Senior Design Research Lead, IDEO

"Inviting Depth is a great reminder and reference for teaching the intangibles of building rapport to unlock deeper insights during interviews."

–Rafae Aziz, Senior Research Manager, Lyft

"In a time when speed and automation dominate much of our work, this book re-centers the relationship between researcher and participant as the foundation of creative and ethical outcomes. It's a timely call to bring care, patience, humility, and humanity back into the heart of design research."

–Dan Perkel, Partner & Senior Executive Director, IDEO

"Inviting Depth is a master class for every researcher who wants to lead effective interviews, in any context. For interviewing customers, users, patients, stakeholders, community members, or indeed anyone, Berry and Williams provide the grounding, skills, and practical techniques to maximize research success. Their approach serves researchers at all levels. For those new to interviewing, it provides a step-by-step guide, and for those with deep experience, it gives depth, nuance, and inspiration for continued skill development and new techniques.

In addition to general researchers, I especially recommend Inviting Depth to quantitative researchers, data scientists, and others from statistical or natural science backgrounds. Berry and Williams demonstrate the importance of adapting interviews to each participant, so we meet people where they are by developing interpersonal connections during research. Their practical directions, paired with humanistic theory, detail exactly how to do this. Alongside the inspirational techniques, they give readers intuitive understanding and depth on how to conduct great interviews. Finally, the book itself is a great example of effective design, with clear topics, headings, examples, explanations, and shortcut references. I'm delighted to see this contribution to the field and highly recommend it!"

–Chris Chapman, PhD, President, Quantitative User Experience Association, Co-author, Quantitative User Experience Research, Formerly, Principal UX Researcher at Google, Amazon, Microsoft

"This book is a beautiful reminder that interviews aren't transactions or just a means to an end. Inviting Depth captures the intangibles that first drew me to the social sciences: human connection. It's what gives our work, and our lives, meaning. What resonated most with me is the book's deep reverence for the participant. Inviting Depth is an inspiring and necessary reminder that deep, authentic connections with interview participants aren't just valuable—they're essential to uncovering meaningful insight."

–Vanessa Whatley, UX Research Director, Twilio

"The skill of interviewing is usually taught as more of an art than a science, but Inviting Depth manages to articulate what often goes unspoken. The authors have delivered a deeply practical guide to the secrets of successful research interviews."

–Brandy Parker, Senior Design Director, IDEO

"Inviting Depth is one of those rare books. In a time when research is too often reduced to AI, data, and dashboards, Berry and Williams remind us that genuine understanding begins with human connection. Their work shows how attention, empathy, and presence can turn an interview into a moment of revelation, of clarity, where people feel seen, and truth unfolds. This is a book about craft, but also about care; it restores dignity to the act of listening. Anyone who seeks to understand people—in design, business, or the social sciences—should read it carefully, and more than once. I know I will."

–Christian Madsbjerg, Author of Sensemaking: What Makes Human Intelligence Essential in the Age of the Algorithm

"Inviting Depth is a book that reminds you why this work matters. It shows how empathy, care, and genuine connection with participants can transform interviews into spaces of trust and discovery. As someone who's spent years leading and mentoring researchers, I found its techniques both practical and quietly profound. It serves as a guide not just to better conversations, but to a more human way of doing research."

–Naomi Grewal, PhD, Faculty, Master of Science in Applied Psychology, University of Southern California & Director of Research, LinkedIn

"It is no small feat for interview participants to share the depth of their experiences with a stranger. Interactions might go awry; opportunities could be missed. Successful sessions depend on research procedures, techniques, and sensibilities, which Berry and Williams lay out with vivid descriptions and useful templates across the end-to-end interview process, from preparation through execution and rekindling the conversation. Inviting Depth offers a primer for new researchers to learn effective interviewing as well as a whetstone for seasoned researchers to sharpen their practice."

–Larry S. McGrath, UX research leader & Author of Making Spirit Matter

"In the fast-paced age of AI, Inviting Depth reminds researchers that slowing down can unlock deeper insights. Its thoughtful and pragmatic tips will help practitioners of any level return to the humanity of conversations to yield rich results."

–Claire Menke Priestley, Director of UX Research, Meta

"This book offers an important reframing of qualitative research, centering the participant experience as the key to deeper trust and more meaningful insights. Inviting Depth is a must-have resource for qualitative researchers."

–Anup Sheth, PhD, UX Researcher, Paylocity

"Inviting Depth takes the nuanced craft of conducting research interviews and breaks it down into easy-to-practice techniques that will up-level every researcher's toolkit. This book is a valuable resource for researchers to read and reference, for both those new to research and seasoned experts."

–An-Chuen Billy Cho, Senior UX Researcher, Instagram