Prompt to write a user interview guide for non-metro India

Context

India had 958 million active internet users in 2025 (IAMAI–Kantar) [3], and 55.49 crore users onboarded on UPI in June 2026 (Ministry of Finance, Lok Sabha reply). So assume most of your 10 people have a smartphone and a UPI handle. Check it, don't assume it per person. Assumption: many construction workers share a phone or hold a basic one with a cracked screen, so ask "whose phone is this?" early.

1. Finding 10 people and paying them

• Construction workers: Go to a labour chowk (Aliganj, Charbagh, Chinhat and Alambagh are typical gathering spots; confirm which are active) at 6:30–7:30 am, before work. Ask the thekedar or mistri first. His yes brings the group.
• House helps: Recruit through resident welfare associations and the guard, or ask a house help you already trust to introduce a friend. Never recruit through the employer.
• Mix: 5 and 5, men and women, some who still save, some who quit. Add 2 spares.
• Pay: Assumption: a day's wage in Lucknow is roughly ₹500–700, so pay ₹500 for 30 minutes, enough to cover lost earnings without making them say what you want to hear. Verify against local rates this month. Kriyā's estimate
• How: Send by UPI on the spot, to their own or a family member's ID. Show the "paid" screen. Keep ₹100 cash as backup. Pay even if they stop halfway. Kriyā's estimate

2. Consent and recording (read aloud in Hindi/Awadhi)

> "Main [naam] hoon. Hum ek app banane ke liye aapki baat samajhna chahte hain. Koi sahi ya galat jawab nahi hai. Aap kisi bhi sawaal par 'nahi' keh sakte hain, aur kabhi bhi rukne ko keh sakte hain, paise tab bhi milenge. Kya main phone par aapki awaaz record kar sakta hoon? Record sirf hamari team sunegi, aapka naam hata denge, aur aap kahenge to mita denge."

• Ask for a spoken yes on the recording. Written forms scare people.
• No Aadhaar, no phone number, no photo unless they offer. Collect only what you need.
• This is personal data, so the DPDP Act 2023 and Rules (notified Nov 2025) apply, with core obligations phasing in through May 2027 [1]. Take consent, collect the minimum, delete when asked.

3. Twelve questions (past behaviour only)

1. Tell me about the last time you put money aside. What happened?
2. Where was that money kept? Who knew about it?
3. How much, and how long did it stay?
4. What made you take it out? Walk me through that day.
5. Before that, did you ever try to save and stop? What happened?
6. Tell me about the last time money ran short mid-week. What did you do?
7. Who did you borrow from or turn to?
8. Last month, how did your money come in: daily, weekly, in a lump?
9. Tell me about a time you used UPI for something. Who helped you?
10. Have you ever saved through a chit fund, committee, post office, bank or app? Tell me about the last one.
11. What happened to that one in the end?
12. If you could change one thing about how money works for you, what would it be, and when did you last feel that?

Avoid: "Would you use an app?", "Do you think saving is important?", "Don't you find it hard?"

4. Phone check (ask first, "Can I see how you use it?")

• Data saver: on or off? Do they turn mobile data off to save balance?
• Storage: nearly full? Ask what they last deleted. This predicts uninstalls.
• Language: Hindi, English or mixed? Can they read Devanagari quickly?
• Network: signal at work site and at home.
• UPI app: which one, where on the screen, balance checks, failed payments.
• WhatsApp: often their main app. Note how they send voice notes instead of typing.

5. Notes and sorting

• One person talks, one takes notes. Write the exact words they use ("jama", "committee", "paisa ruk jaata hai"), not your summary.
• Right after each interview, fill a one-page sheet: how they save, trigger to withdraw, who they trust, phone observations.
• After 10, put each "stopped saving" story on a sticky note. Group by trigger (illness, festival, family ask, wage delay, app problem). Count how many people sit in each.
• Mark what they did versus what they said. Behaviour outranks opinion.

6. Metro-interviewer mistakes

• Using English or textbook Hindi. Use their word for saving.
• Sitting above them, in a clean shirt, with a laptop. Sit level, use a notebook.
• Interviewing at the site while the mistri watches.
• Asking about income in numbers. Ask about last week instead.
• Filling silences. Wait.
• Assuming "no savings" means "no discipline". Many save in gold, chit funds or with a trusted person.

Next action: Run 2 pilot interviews at one chowk this week, and cut any question people don't understand.