General Criteria for CustDev Questions:

• Open-ended questions

Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Instead, ask questions that encourage detailed and thoughtful responses.

• Avoid leading questions

Don't phrase questions in a way that suggests the desired answer or steers the interviewee towards a particular solution.

• Focus on past experiences

Ask about the interviewee's past experiences and daily habits, rather than their future plans. People tend to overestimate their future actions, so focusing on their past behavior provides a more accurate picture of their actual needs and behaviors.

When did you last encounter this problem?
This question opens the door to a conversation about the interviewee's personal experiences with the problem. Encourage them to elaborate on their specific situation.

How often do you encounter this problem? How many times did you encounter it last month?
These questions help assess the severity of the problem for the interviewee. Is it worth investing resources in solving this problem, or is it just a minor inconvenience that people are willing to tolerate? Additionally, these questions can help identify the priorities of your target audience. If the interviewee says they encounter the problem frequently, but in reality, it's only a few times a month, it suggests that the problem causes significant inconvenience, as it is so memorable.

How much does this problem cost you?
During the conversation, you may discover that your solution is far superior to what the interviewee is currently using. But will it be more expensive? Are users willing to pay more? This question can help you understand their willingness to pay. Many people are not accustomed to including their time in their cost assessments. Help them calculate the monetary equivalent of their time.

What tools do you use to solve this problem?
This question helps transition from general discussions to specific details. The interviewee will describe how they currently address the problem, revealing the websites, software, frameworks, and other tools they use. This information can help you identify your competitors and understand your target audience's preferences. Additionally, this question can be used to verify if the interviewee is indeed a representative of your target audience. If they can name specific tools, it indicates that they have genuinely encountered the problem and have attempted to solve it.

When did you start using these tools? What benefits did you hope to gain? Did you get what you expected?
Ask these questions if the interviewee seems confident that they have already found a solution to the problem. For instance, when purchasing software, we may have specific expectations about how we will use it. However, we may later discover that it doesn't fully meet our needs. We may find workarounds and adapt, eventually becoming satisfied with the software as it solves the problem. By asking this question, you can gain insights into the truly optimal solution for your target audience.

In the previous sections, we discussed questions to ask when planning to create an IT product. However, conducting CustDev is beneficial at any stage. Understanding how users interact with an existing product can guide its future development.

What do you do first when using the product?
If the interviewee is a loyal user of the product, its use has become habitual for them. This question prompts them to elaborate on the entire process, helping them recall details.

What is the most useful feature of our service?
Product creators often believe that a particular feature is their competitive advantage and invest heavily in its development. In reality, users may value other functionalities more.

If the desired features were available today, how would they make your work easier?
During CustDev interviews, people will often express a lack of specific tools or features in the product. However, don't immediately rush to incorporate their ideas into development. Consider that different features will seem crucial in different situations. For example, a corporation may prioritize the ability to handle large datasets, while a small business may value a user-friendly interface.

Who else faces this problem?
This question can help identify new segments of your target audience and suggest who else you should conduct CustDev interviews with. Users often have a better understanding of who else faces similar problems. When they were looking for solutions, they conducted their own research. Why not leverage their insights?

Would you be willing to help with product testing?
Ask this question at the end of each interview, even if you are unsure about the product testing timeline or even if the product itself will be built. It's valuable to have a list of contacts you can reach out to during critical decision points when you need quick feedback from a customer representative. You can also invite them to join your social media channels. These initial contacts can become the foundation for building a product community.

By prioritizing open-ended questions focused on past experiences and current workflows, CustDev interviews provide valuable insights throughout the product development process.

These insights can help you refine your target audience, understand their pain points, and ultimately develop a product that truly meets their needs.