Customer Interview Script
Create a structured interview script that surfaces real insights, not just opinions. Follows "The Mom Test" principles — ask about their life, not your idea.
Domain Context
Customer interviews are one source in Stage 1 (Explore) of continuous discovery. Other sources: stakeholder interviews, usage analytics, data analytics, surveys, market trends, SEO/SEM analysis. The PM needs direct access to users, stakeholders, engineers, and designers — "without proxies." The Product Trio (PM + Designer + Engineer — Teresa Torres) should work together on discovery, not just the PM alone.
Context
You are preparing a customer interview script for research on $ARGUMENTS.
If the user provides files (personas, hypothesis lists, product briefs, or previous interview notes), read them first.
Instructions
- Clarify research objectives:
- What specific questions does the team need answered? - What decisions will this research inform? - What assumptions need validation?
- Create the interview script with these sections: Opening (2-3 min) Warm-Up: Context & Background (5 min) Core Exploration: Jobs to Be Done (15-20 min) Current situation and behavior (past tense, specific instances): Pain points and frustrations (observe, don't lead): Desired outcomes (their words, not yours): Willingness to pay / priority (skin in the game): Probing Techniques Use these when you hit an interesting thread: The Mom Test Rules Wrap-Up (3-5 min)
- Introduce yourself and the purpose (learning, not selling) - Set expectations: "There are no right or wrong answers. We're here to learn from your experience." - Ask permission to record (if applicable) - Confirm time available - "Tell me about your role and what a typical day/week looks like." - "How long have you been doing [activity related to the product area]?" - Goal: Build rapport and understand their context - "Walk me through the last time you [did the thing we're exploring]. What happened?" - "What tools or methods did you use?" - "How long did it take? Who else was involved?" - "What was the hardest part about that?" - "If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?" - "What have you tried to solve this? What happened?" - "What does 'good' look like for you in this area?" - "How would you know if this was working well?" - "How much time/money do you currently spend on this?" - "Have you looked for a better solution? What did you find?" - "What would you give up to have this solved?" - "Tell me more about that" — opens up any topic - "Why?" (asked gently, 2-3 times) — gets to root causes - "Can you give me a specific example?" — moves from opinions to facts - "What happened next?" — follows the story - "How did that make you feel?" — captures emotional intensity - Ask about their life, not your idea - Ask about the past, not the future ("Would you use X?" is useless) - Talk less, listen more — aim for 80/20 split - Never pitch during the interview - Look for strong emotions — they signal real pain or delight - Compliments are noise — "That sounds cool!" tells you nothing - "Is there anything I didn't ask that you think is important?" - "Who else should I talk to about this?" - Thank them for their time - Share next steps (if any)
- Customize the script: Adapt questions to the specific product area, persona, and research objectives. Add or remove sections based on the interview length available.
- Include a note-taking template:
Participant: [Name / ID] Date: [Date] Key Jobs: [What they're trying to accomplish] Current Solution: [What they use today] Biggest Pain: [Their #1 frustration] Desired Outcome: [What success looks like] Willingness to Pay: [How much they invest / would invest] Surprise Finding: [Something unexpected] Follow-up: [Next steps]
Save as markdown. Include both the script and the note-taking template.