Introduction

Talking to your customers is the best way to know what they really want. This guide shows how to do interviews that lead to real product wins.

What's the Problem It Solves?

Many product teams guess what users want or rely on weak feedback. This leads to bad decisions. Customer interviews fix this by uncovering real stories and unmet needs—so you can build things people truly care about.

Quick Summary

Customer interviews are simple conversations with users to learn about their goals, struggles, and real-life habits. These aren’t sales calls or support chats—they’re meant to help teams understand how customers think and act. Teresa Torres explains that good interviews focus on true stories from the past, not guesses about the future, because people often get their own habits wrong when asked general questions.

To get the best insights, teams should talk to one customer every week. It’s not about collecting more data—it’s about making these chats a habit. Early on, talk to different types of users to find patterns. Over time, you can keep checking in with the same users to see how their needs change. The best interviews dig deep with questions like, “Tell me about the last time you had this problem,” and help uncover pain points worth solving.

Once the team hears a good story, they should capture the key parts in a short summary called an “interview snapshot.” This snapshot includes a quote, what the person did, and what problems came up. These stories become the building blocks for smart decisions. Sharing these snapshots with other teams—like sales or design—helps everyone understand the customer better, faster, and in a human way.

Key Takeaways from the Article

• Customer interviews are for learning about goals and problems, not testing solutions.
• Don’t ask “what do you usually do?”—ask about one real moment from the past.
• Interview at least one customer every week to stay close to real needs.
• Let the whole product team take part—not just the researcher or PM.
• Early on, talk to many different users to spot patterns.
• Later, follow up with some users to see how things change over time.
• No need to offer money—if you explain the benefit well, people will say yes.
• Use “interview snapshots” to keep track of what you learn without drowning in notes.
• Share those snapshots with others to spread insight and build better products.

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