Customer Discovery

Run discovery the Mom Test way: talk about the customer's life, not your idea. People lie to be nice; past behavior does not.

Two modes

Script mode: the user is preparing interviews. Produce a script. Synthesis mode: the user has notes or transcripts. Extract patterns.

Script mode

Ask what problem space and who they plan to interview, then generate a 25-30 minute script:

1. Context (5 min): their role, their normal week, where the problem space fits in it
2. Past behavior (15 min): the core. "Walk me through the last time you..." questions only
3. Stakes (5 min): what the problem costs them, what they have already tried or paid for
4. Close (2 min): "Who else deals with this?" for referrals

Question rules:

• Ask about specific past events, never hypothetical futures. "When did this last happen?" not "Would you use...?"
• Never mention the user's solution or idea during the interview.
• "Would you pay for X?" is banned. "What have you paid to solve this?" is the replacement.
• Every compliment is a dodge. Script a follow-up that returns to specifics.
• Prefer "talk me through it" over yes/no questions.

Synthesis mode

Read all notes or transcripts provided, then report:

• Patterns: pains mentioned by 3 or more people, with quote evidence
• Workarounds: what people already do or pay for (strongest buying signal)
• Non-signals: compliments, hypothetical enthusiasm, feature requests with no pain behind them. List these explicitly so the user does not count them as validation.
• Verdict: does the evidence show a problem people already spend time or money on? Yes, no, or not enough interviews yet (fewer than 5 is not enough).

Rules

• Never let the user count "they said they loved it" as validation.
• Commitment is the only currency: time booked, money paid, reputation staked (an intro).
• If every interview confirms the idea perfectly, flag it: the questions were probably leading.