Customer Interview Script

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name: interview-script description: Create structured customer interview scripts following Mom Test principles and JTBD probing. Use when preparing for customer discovery interviews, user research sessions, or validating product assumptions. tags: [discovery, customer-research, interviews, jtbd]

Customer Interview Script

Create structured, bias-free customer interview scripts that uncover real needs — not just what people say they want.

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Purpose

Most customer interviews produce unusable data because they ask leading questions, talk about the future ("Would you use X?"), or let the interviewer pitch instead of listen. This skill produces scripts grounded in The Mom Test principles: talk about their life, not your idea.

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When to Use

• Preparing for customer discovery interviews
• Validating assumptions about customer needs or behaviors
• Researching a new opportunity area
• Building evidence for an Opportunity Solution Tree

When NOT to Use

• Usability testing (use a usability test protocol instead)
• Surveys or quantitative research
• Sales calls or demos

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Required Context (Ask If Missing)

• Research goal: What assumption or question are you trying to validate?
• Target persona: Who are you interviewing? (role, company size, context)
• Product stage: Pre-product, early product, or mature product?
• Prior knowledge: What do you already know about this customer segment?

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The Script Structure

Section 1: Opening (2–3 minutes)

Set the stage and build rapport.

"Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today. I'm [name] from [company].
We're researching [broad topic area] to understand how people like you
handle [relevant activity]. There are no right or wrong answers — I'm
genuinely interested in your experience.

Is it okay if I take notes? [And record, if applicable]

Before we dive in, could you tell me a bit about your role and what
a typical day/week looks like for you?"

Rules:

• Do NOT mention your product or solution
• Do NOT explain what you're building
• Keep it conversational, not formal

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Section 2: Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Understand their context and establish baseline.

Template questions:

• "Tell me about your role and responsibilities."
• "What does a typical [day/week/sprint] look like for you?"
• "What tools or processes do you currently use for [relevant activity]?"
• "How long have you been doing [activity] this way?"

Purpose: Build rapport, understand their world, identify context that shapes their needs.

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Section 3: Core Exploration (15–20 minutes)

This is where you dig into past behavior and real experiences. Follow Mom Test rules.

3a. Current Behavior (Past Tense, Specific)

• "Tell me about the last time you [did the activity]. Walk me through it."
• "What happened? What did you do first?"
• "How long did that take?"
• "Who else was involved?"

3b. Pain Points

• "What was the hardest part of that?"
• "Where did things break down or get frustrating?"
• "Have you tried to solve that? What did you try?"
• "Why did that solution work or not work?"

3c. Desired Outcomes (Jobs to Be Done)

• "What were you ultimately trying to accomplish?"
• "If that worked perfectly, what would the result look like?"
• "How would you know you succeeded?"

3d. Willingness to Pay / Priority

• "How important is solving this compared to other things on your plate?"
• "Have you looked for solutions? What have you tried or considered?"
• "Have you spent money on this? How much? What did you get?"

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Section 4: Wrap-Up (3–5 minutes)

Close gracefully and leave the door open.

"This has been really helpful. A couple of quick closing questions:

- Is there anything about [topic] that I should have asked but didn't?
- Is there anyone else you'd recommend I talk to about this?

Thank you so much for your time. I may follow up with a quick question
or two — would that be okay?"

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Probing Techniques

Use these when an answer is vague or surface-level:

Technique	Example
"Tell me more"	"That's interesting — can you tell me more about that?"
Laddering (Why x3)	"Why was that frustrating?" → "Why does that matter?" → "Why is that important to your work?"
Specific example	"Can you give me a specific example of when that happened?"
Contrast	"How is that different from how you did it before?"
Quantify	"How often does that happen? How much time does it take?"
Emotional	"How did that make you feel?"

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Note-Taking Template

After each interview, capture:

## Interview Notes

**Date**: [date]
**Participant**: [name/role/company]
**Interviewer**: [name]

### Key Jobs (What they're trying to accomplish)
1. [job]
2. [job]

### Current Solution
- [How they solve it today]

### Biggest Pain Points
1. [pain] — Severity: High/Medium/Low
2. [pain] — Severity: High/Medium/Low

### Desired Outcome
- [What "success" looks like to them]

### Willingness to Pay / Priority
- [Evidence of how much they care]

### Surprise Findings
- [Anything unexpected]

### Verbatim Quotes (Most Important)
- "[exact quote]"
- "[exact quote]"

### Follow-Up Actions
- [ ] [action]

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Mom Test Rules (Non-Negotiable)

1. Talk about their life, not your idea — never pitch during discovery
2. Ask about the past, not the future — "Tell me about the last time..." not "Would you use..."
3. Ask about specifics, not generics — "Walk me through exactly what happened" not "How do you usually..."
4. Listen more than you talk — interviewer should talk < 30% of the time
5. Seek disconfirming evidence — don't just collect data that supports your hypothesis
6. Compliments are noise — "That sounds cool!" means nothing. Look for behavior signals.

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Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Why	Instead
"Would you use X?"	Hypothetical = unreliable	"Tell me about the last time you tried to solve this"
Pitching your solution	Biases all subsequent answers	Save pitching for after the interview
Leading questions	Confirms your bias, not their reality	Ask open-ended, neutral questions
Multiple questions at once	Overwhelms, they answer the easiest one	One question at a time
Nodding/agreeing too much	Signals what you want to hear	Stay neutral, curious
Only interviewing fans	Selection bias	Include churned users, non-users, competitors' users

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References

• Fitzpatrick, Rob. The Mom Test (2013)
• Torres, Teresa. Continuous Discovery Habits (2021)
• JTBD Interview Guide