What do I actually ask in a customer interview?
Four phases, and the question changes at each one.
Interviews trace the classic double diamond. Two phases open things up, two narrow them down. Most bad interviews are a phase mismatch: an evaluative question asked during a generative phase, or the reverse. Work out which phase you are in before you write a single question.
A persona is a snapshot of what you think about your customers. Write it before you interview anyone, so you can find out where you were wrong.
AI can draft your questions and summarize your transcripts. It cannot watch what someone does not say.
What you get
- A persona worksheet, to write down what you already believe before you interview anyone
- A starter question bank for each of the four phases: Problem Discovery, Problem Validation, Solution Discovery, Solution Validation
- In-the-room guidance for running the interview itself
Where should we send it?
One email with the worksheet. You can unsubscribe from anything else in one click.
On its way
Check your inbox. If it has not landed in a minute or two, look in promotions or spam, and add sam@startuppatterns.com to your contacts so the rest arrive.
Adapted from the Discovery chapter of The Mindful Product Company by Sam McAfee.