Customer Discovery Process

Customer Discovery Interview Checklist

Don’t build your product in a vacuum! Talk to your customers first.

• Before the Interview:

  • Clearly state your Problem Hypothesis: What specific pain are you trying to solve?
  • Clearly state your Customer Segment Hypothesis: Who is experiencing this pain?
  • Prepare a list of open-ended questions.

• During the Interview (Focus on Problems):

  • Listen more, talk less. Aim for 80% them, 20% you.
  • Ask about their past behavior, not future predictions. (“Tell me about a time when…”, not “Would you ever…”).
  • Ask about their current solutions/workarounds for the problem.
  • Avoid mentioning your solution until you truly understand their problem.
  • Seek to understand their world, not validate your idea. You are a detective, not a salesperson.

• After the Interview:

  • Document key insights immediately.
  • Update your hypotheses: What did you learn that changed your mind?
  • Decide: Should you Pivot (change course) or Preserve (continue)?

Golden Rule: Your goal is to disprove your assumptions, not confirm them.