interview-script

Customer Interview Script Generation Guide

Skill Overview

Interview Script is a structured customer interview script generation tool designed for product managers and product teams. It follows The Mom Test principles and the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) methodology, helping you gather valuable insights from real user interviews rather than superficial opinions.

Applicable Scenarios

1. User Research During Product Discovery

When you are in the exploratory phase of product discovery and need to speak directly with users to validate hypotheses and understand their real needs, this skill can quickly generate interview scripts that align with established methodologies. Whether you are validating a new product concept or uncovering issues with an existing product, it provides a structured interview framework.

2. User Interview Preparation and Training

When product managers, designers, or engineers need to prepare for user interviews, this skill can generate a complete interview guide covering the introduction, warm-up, core exploration, and closing stages. It is especially suitable for helping novice interviewers get started quickly, as well as for experienced interviewers seeking to standardize their interview process.

3. Creating Interview Guides and Templates

When a product team needs to establish a standardized user interview process, this skill can generate reusable interview script templates that include The Mom Test principles, probing techniques, and note-taking formats, helping the team continuously gather high-quality user insights.

Core Features

1. Structured Interview Script Generation

Automatically generate complete interview scripts covering the introduction (2–3 minutes), warm-up (5 minutes), core exploration (15–20 minutes), and closing (3–5 minutes). Each stage includes clear example questions and objective descriptions to ensure that the interview process is professional and efficient.

2. Guidance Based on The Mom Test Principles

Built-in core rules from The Mom Test: ask about the other person’s life rather than your ideas, focus on past behavior rather than future assumptions, talk less and listen more while maintaining an 80/20 ratio, avoid selling during the interview, look for strong emotional signals, and filter out praise and other noise. These principles help interviewers avoid common pitfalls.

3. JTBD Exploration Question Design

Provides a question bank based on the Jobs to Be Done methodology, covering key dimensions such as current situations and behaviors, pain points and frustrations, desired outcomes, and willingness to pay. It also includes probing techniques such as “Tell me more,” gently asking “Why?”, requesting specific examples, and paying attention to emotional reactions to uncover genuine needs in depth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Sections Should a Customer Interview Script Include?

A complete interview script includes four core sections: an opening introduction (building trust and explaining the purpose), a warm-up (understanding the participant’s background and building rapport), core exploration (in-depth JTBD-based investigation), and a closing (asking any additional questions and thanking the participant). Each section has a clear time allocation and example questions to ensure that the interview is both professional and efficient.

What Are The Mom Test Interview Principles?

The Mom Test is a user interview methodology proposed by Rob Fitzpatrick. Its core principles are to ask about the other person’s real life rather than your product idea, focus on past actions and events rather than future assumptions, listen instead of selling during the interview, look for strong emotional signals as indicators of genuine pain points, and filter out polite praise. This skill automatically incorporates these principles into the scripts it generates.

How Can User Interviews Avoid Leading Questions?

The key to avoiding leading questions is to use open-ended questions and past tense. For example, instead of asking, “Would you like this feature?” (a future assumption), ask, “What happened the last time you tried to solve this problem?” (past behavior). This skill automatically uses question phrasing recommended by The Mom Test, helping you collect real data rather than approval given out of politeness.