Run user interviews without filling your calendar.
Send one well-framed question to a relevant group. They answer by voice when it suits them. You review the transcripts, then use live calls where follow-up will add value.
The short answer
The playbook
Five steps, starting with the question. A polished invitation cannot rescue a vague prompt.
- 1
Pick one question: the hardest part
Broad prompts such as "Any feedback?" make it hard for people to know where to begin. Ask about a moment, not a general opinion. "What almost stopped you from signing up?" or "Walk me through the last time you tried to [job to be done]" gives the respondent a concrete place to start.
- 2
Create a Magic Link
Log in to HeySpeak, paste your question, and copy the link. You can add your calendar as an optional fallback for respondents who want to talk live. The receiver opens one question on their phone or laptop without creating an account.
- 3
Start with a small, relevant group
The link works in an email, Slack message, WhatsApp message, or LinkedIn DM. Write a short personal note that explains why you chose them and what the answer will help you decide. Start with warm contacts so you can improve the question before sharing it more widely.
- 4
Wait. They record when it suits them.
Recipients open the link and record in their browser, with no app download or account creation. They can respond when they have privacy and time. Keep the deadline clear, then send one considerate reminder if needed.
- 5
Read the AI summaries in one sitting
Each voice note gets transcribed and summarised automatically. Review the full round in one sitting and look for repeated language, shared friction, and answers that challenge your assumption. Use the summaries for triage, then read the transcripts and listen to the original audio before drawing conclusions from tone.
What makes a good question for voice research?
The question does most of the work. A broad prompt such as “What do you think of the product?” invites a general opinion. A question about a recent moment gives the respondent something concrete to remember and describe.
Voice is useful when you want a story in the respondent's own words. The question needs to invite that story, not a rating. “What almost stopped you from signing up?” explores a moment of friction. “If you had to explain this to a colleague, what would you say?” explores the language a customer reaches for.
Avoid questions with yes or no answers. If the honest response is a single word, use a form. Be careful with hypothetical intent questions such as “Would you pay for X?” A question about what someone did recently gives you behaviour they can describe.
Question examples
- “What almost stopped you from signing up?” Opens with a specific moment rather than a general evaluation.
- “If you had to explain this to a colleague in one sentence, what would you say?” Collects the language users choose, not the language on your landing page.
- “Walk me through the last time you tried to [job to be done]. What happened?” Asks for an event rather than an abstract opinion.
- “What is the thing in your week that takes longer than it should?” Broader opener for early discovery, before you have a specific hypothesis to test.
Keep going
Two more pages on the same problem from different angles.