customer-interview-script

name	customer-interview-script
description	Run high-signal customer discovery interviews using a scripted question hierarchy, behavior-over-opinion probes, and rapport techniques drawn from Portigal, Torres, Fitzpatrick (Mom Test), and Lewis Lin.
license	MIT + Commons Clause
metadata	{"version":"1.0.1","author":"borghei","category":"project-management","domain":"pm-discovery","updated":"2026-06-15T00:00:00.000Z","tech-stack":"customer-interviews, discovery, jobs-to-be-done, mom-test"}

Customer Interview Script Expert

Overview

Running a customer interview is harder than it looks. The difference between a 60-minute conversation that produces three actionable insights and one that produces zero is almost entirely method: what you ask, when you ask it, and what you do not ask. This skill is the live-interview companion to discovery/interview-synthesis/ (post-interview analysis) and discovery/identify-assumptions/ (which produces the questions you go in to test).

The script structure draws from four canonical sources: Steve Portigal's Interviewing Users (rapport, listening, "tell me about the last time"), Teresa Torres' Continuous Discovery Habits (story-based probing, weekly cadence), Rob Fitzpatrick's The Mom Test (avoiding compliments, opinions, and futures), and Lewis Lin's behavioral interviewing patterns (concrete-recent-relevant). The goal is to leave each interview with at least one story, one contradiction, and one surprise.

Core Capabilities

• 5-phase script -- opening/consent, context, story collection (the meat), probing/synthesis, closing -- timed for 45/60/90-minute slots.
• Story-based probing -- the story funnel and 5-Whys turn opinions into concrete-recent-relevant evidence.
• Mom Test discipline -- bad-question to good-question conversions that strip out compliments, fluff, and feature pitches.
• Question banks by type -- problem discovery, solution validation, journey mapping, churn/win-loss.
• Interview craft -- rapport rules, silence handling, pacing, pair-interviewing roles, recording/consent/storage.

When to Use

• Problem discovery -- test whether a customer pain is real, who has it, and how acute it is.
• Solution validation -- get feedback on a wireframe/prototype grounded in past behavior, not hypotheticals.
• Journey research -- understand the end-to-end flow of how a customer does a job today (tools, workarounds, handoffs).
• Churn or win/loss -- understand why customers left, stayed, or chose a competitor.
• Continuous discovery cadence -- weekly customer touchpoints to keep the team grounded in evidence.

Quick Start

1. Pull top assumptions from discovery/identify-assumptions/; write 2-3 must-answer questions and pick the interview type.
2. Customize assets/interview_script_template.md and pull type-specific prompts from assets/question_bank.md.
3. Run the 5-phase script (rapport first, stories in the middle, contradictions at the end); debrief within 30 minutes; hand the transcript to discovery/interview-synthesis/.

See references/interview-execution-playbook.md for the full method, scripts, question banks, pacing, and troubleshooting.

References

• references/interview-execution-playbook.md -- read this before running an interview: the four-source frameworks, the verbatim 5-phase script, question banks by type, what-not-to-ask table, pacing, pair-interviewing roles, recording/consent, silence handling, workflow, troubleshooting, and success criteria.
• references/interviewing-methodology-guide.md -- read this for the deep method with worked examples (Portigal, Torres, Fitzpatrick, Lin).
• references/red-flags.md -- read this when auditing a transcript or technique for biasing anti-patterns before trusting the findings.
• assets/interview_script_template.md -- ready-to-customize 5-phase interview script.
• assets/question_bank.md -- question bank organized by interview type (problem / solution / journey / churn).

Scope & Limitations

In scope: live discovery interview script structure and pacing; question banks (problem / solution / journey / churn); rapport, listening, and silence techniques; recording consent and retention policy; pair-interviewing role definitions.

Out of scope: interview synthesis and theme clustering (discovery/interview-synthesis/); assumption mapping before interviews (discovery/identify-assumptions/); survey design and quantitative research; usability testing protocols (task-based, not story-based); recruiting operations (panel sourcing, screening, incentives).

Caveats: this skill produces interview technique, not research operations. Story-based interviewing is bounded by participant memory -- events older than 90 days are reconstructions. B2B enterprise interviews often need procurement-style approval; build 2-4 weeks into recruiting. Continuous discovery assumes weekly touchpoints; one-off rounds produce shallower evidence -- weight findings accordingly.

Integration Points

Integration	Direction	What Flows
discovery/identify-assumptions/	Receives from	Top assumptions become the must-answer questions for each interview
discovery/interview-synthesis/	Feeds into	Transcripts and debrief notes are the input for theme clustering
discovery/brainstorm-ideas/	Bidirectional	Pre-interview hypotheses; post-interview ideas seeded by themes
discovery/brainstorm-experiments/	Feeds into	Validated pains become experiment hypotheses
discovery/jtbd-workshop/	Complementary	Switch interviews use this script structure as their foundation
discovery/value-proposition-canvas/	Feeds into	Jobs, pains, and gains captured in stories populate the Customer Profile
execution/create-prd/	Feeds into	Direct quotes strengthen PRD Background and Market Segments