Create a structured customer interview script with JTBD probing questions, warm-up, core exploration, and wrap-up sections. Follows The Mom Test principles — no leading questions, no pitching, focus on past behavior. Use when preparing for user interviews, creating interview
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Create a structured customer interview script with JTBD probing questions, warm-up, core exploration, and wrap-up sections. Follows The Mom Test principles — no leading questions, no pitching, focus on past behavior. Use when preparing for user interviews, creating interview
---name: interview-script
description: "Create a structured customer interview script with JTBD probing questions, warm-up, core exploration, and wrap-up sections. Follows The Mom Test principles — no leading questions, no pitching, focus on past behavior. Use when preparing for user interviews, creating interview guides, or planning discovery research."
---## 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
1. **Clarify research objectives**:
- What specific questions does the team need answered?
- What decisions will this research inform?
- What assumptions need validation?
- **"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
### The Mom Test Rules
- 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
### Wrap-Up (3-5 min)
- "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)
3. **Customize the script**: Adapt questions to the specific product area, persona, and research objectives. Add or remove sections based on the interview length available.
4. **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.
---
### Further Reading
- [User Interviews: The Ultimate Guide to Research Interviews](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/interviewing-customers-the-ultimate)
