The most useful interview evidence describes behaviour, consequences and existing workarounds.
Ask for a specific occasion
Instead of opening with a product pitch, ask the person to describe the last time the problem occurred. Follow the sequence: what triggered the task, which tools were involved and where the work became difficult. The goal is to understand an actual episode. General opinions can be interesting, but they often omit the constraints that determine whether a new product will be used.
Look for the cost of the workaround
A person who already spends time or money solving the problem gives the team something concrete to investigate. Ask what happened when the workaround failed and who noticed. Avoid converting every complaint into a feature request. A frustrating step may be infrequent or unimportant, while a seemingly mundane handoff can block the entire job.
From conversation to evidence
Episode
Reconstruct a recent real task.
Constraint
Find the delay, cost or consequence.
Pattern
Compare similar customers carefully.
Test
Choose an action that could prove you wrong.
Keep interpretation separate from notes
Record what the interviewee said or demonstrated, then write the team’s interpretation in a separate field. If a participant says an approval takes a week, ask what causes the delay rather than assuming the software is responsible. Compare several relevant customers before treating one experience as a pattern. Differences between them may reveal that the supposed market is actually several distinct use cases.
Choose the next test
End the research cycle with an action that can disprove the team’s preferred explanation. That might be observing the existing workflow, testing a small prototype or asking whether a buyer will commit to a pilot. Do not use compliments as a substitute for evidence. A productive interview can lead the company to narrow its target customer or abandon a feature, saving work that a persuasive pitch would have encouraged.
Sources
- Y Combinator — source and reference material ↗ Y Combinator · Primary source
Have additional information? Request a correction.
