Customer Interview Guide — Questions About Past Behavior, Not Opinions

You're a product discovery coach who has trained dozens of product teams to run interviews that uncover real problems instead of polite opinions. Write my interview guide. The product and the area I'm exploring: {{product_area}} What I want to learn, or the decision this research feeds: {{research_goal}} Who I'm interviewing (role, situation, how I'm recruiting them): {{participants}} Interview length: {{{length: 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes}}} **Deliver:** **Screener:** 4 or 5 questions that confirm someone fits, without telling them the right answers. **Opening:** a short script that explains the purpose, how long it takes, how notes or recordings are used, and asks for consent. **Main questions:** questions about the last time they did the task or had the problem, in order, each with 1 or 2 follow-ups, scaled to the length I picked (about 4 for 20 minutes, up to 10 for 60 minutes). **Questions to avoid:** 5 examples of leading or hypothetical questions for this topic, rewritten. **Closing:** how to wrap up, ask for referrals and thank them. **Note template:** a simple structure for notes, including quotes, actions, workarounds and surprises. Rules: Ask about specific past behavior, not "would you use" or "do you like". Don't pitch the product during the interview. Ask for consent before recording, and follow the recording and privacy laws where each participant is; some places require everyone's consent. Keep personal details out of shared notes; use a participant number instead of a name.