Land a PM Job
Customer Research

Customer Discovery Interview Script

A structured approach to conducting customer discovery interviews with open questions, active listening, and probing. Yields deeper insights than surveys or focus groups.

When to Use This Framework

Understanding customer pain points
Discovering product opportunities
Validating product ideas
Building customer empathy

How to Apply This Framework

  1. 1

    Prepare 5-7 open-ended questions

  2. 2

    Choose diverse participants

  3. 3

    Schedule 30-45 min calls

  4. 4

    Use active listening techniques

  5. 5

    Probe on answers

  6. 6

    Avoid leading questions

  7. 7

    Take detailed notes

  8. 8

    Synthesize themes

Real-World Examples

Stripe interviewing merchants about payments

Figma talking to designers about collaboration

Notion understanding knowledge workers' workflow

Strengths

  • Yields rich qualitative data
  • Builds deep customer understanding
  • Uncovers unexpected insights

Limitations

  • Time-intensive process
  • Small sample sizes
  • Requires skilled interviewer

Related Frameworks

Consider combining this framework with:

Jobs to Be DoneDesign ThinkingCustomer Advisory Board

Master Product Management

Learn these frameworks and more in our comprehensive PM bootcamp.

Explore PM Bootcamp