Exploratory Interviewing Methodology

The VERITAS Framework

A structured methodology for conducting stakeholder interviews that generate valid, unbiased discovery data.

12 Rules 4 Severity Tiers Trusted Insights

John Collins  ·  jcollins11@mgh.harvard.edu

Introduction

Teams work hard to get interviews and try their best to ask the right questions — but too often inadvertently introduce bias and generate data they should not trust. They ask leading questions without realizing it. They seed ideas or pitch before they have finished listening. They hear what they hoped to hear rather than what was actually said. VERITAS is a set of 12 rules — organized by the severity of damage each violation causes — for conducting exploratory interviews that produce data you can actually build on. These rules have evolved over 10 years with teams participating in the CRAASH program. They work. But they need to be practiced.

The 12 Rules

Tier 1
Data Destroyers Fatal Violations

Violations that collapse the discovery space entirely — once triggered, unbiased data collection is no longer possible.

  • #1   No Solution Framing
  • #2   No Seeding
  • #3   No Interpretation
Tier 2
Data Distorters Severe Bias

Violations that systematically skew findings — inflating intent, masking variability, or suppressing unexpected signals.

  • #4   Focus on Behavior
  • #5   No Leading Questions
  • #6   No Over-Steering
Tier 3
Data Clarifiers Quality Control

Violations that reduce the precision and comparability of what you collect, without necessarily invalidating it entirely.

  • #7   No Compound Questions
  • #8   No Ice Cream Questions
  • #9   No Correcting
Tier 4
Signal & Access Missed Insight

Not violations in the traditional sense — missed opportunities that leave insight unretrieved and stakeholder access unexploited.

  • #10   No Binary Questions
  • #11   No Homework Questions
  • #12   Finish with Open Expansion