Product Management playbook/Module 2 · Discovery

Day 12 / 100 · Discovery · Customer interviews that don't lie

Ask about the past, not the future.

People are poor predictors of their own behaviour, but reliable reporters of what they've actually done.

Hypotheticals

Questions That Mislead

  • “Would you use…?”
  • “How much would you pay for…?”
  • “Do you like this idea?”
  • “What features do you want?”

Real stories

Questions That Reveal

  • “Tell me about the last time…”
  • “What did you do next?”
  • “What did that cost you?”
  • “What have you already tried?”

Facts beat compliments.