Customer Interview Guide
Pre-Interview Preparation
Research
- Review customer profile (company, role, AUM, user type)
- Check product usage data and patterns
- Review support ticket history
- Prepare specific questions based on their context
Logistics
- Schedule 30-45 minute session
- Send calendar invite with video link
- Confirm attendance 1 day before
- Prepare recording tools (with permission)
- Have note-taking system ready
Interview Goals
[What are you trying to learn? Be specific] Example goals:- Understand current portfolio management workflow
- Validate problem around rebalancing complexity
- Test new feature concept for automated rebalancing
Interview Structure (45 minutes)
1. Introduction (5 minutes)
Script:“Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I’m [Name], [Title] at [Company]. We’re working to better understand [topic] and your insights will help us build better solutions. This conversation will take about 45 minutes. I’ll ask you about your current workflows and challenges. There are no right or wrong answers - I want to understand your experience. Is it okay if I record this session for note-taking purposes? The recording is only for internal use and won’t be shared externally.”
- Get permission to record
- Confirm time available
- Set expectations for the conversation
2. Context Setting (5 minutes)
Goal: Understand the interviewee’s background and context Questions:- Can you tell me about your role and responsibilities?
- How long have you been in this role?
- What does a typical day/week look like for you?
- How many clients do you manage? What’s the typical portfolio size?
- What types of clients do you primarily work with? (retail, HNW, institutional)
- What asset classes do you focus on?
- Are there specific regulatory constraints in your workflows?
3. Current State Exploration (15 minutes)
Goal: Understand how they work today and what challenges they face Discovery Questions:- Walk me through how you currently [do task X]
- What tools or systems do you use for this?
- How often do you need to [perform this task]?
- What’s the most time-consuming part of this process?
- What’s the most frustrating part?
- What workarounds have you developed?
- Can you tell me about a recent time when [scenario]?
- What happened? How did you handle it?
- What would have made that easier?
- How does this impact your clients?
- When you need to [job], what are you trying to accomplish?
- What does success look like?
- What gets in the way of success?
“Walk me through your last portfolio rebalancing exercise. What steps did you take? Which parts took the longest? Were there any surprises or challenges?“
4. Pain Points & Impact (10 minutes)
Goal: Quantify the problem and understand its impact Questions:- How much time does [problem] cost you per week/month?
- How does this problem affect your ability to serve clients?
- What’s the business impact of this challenge?
- If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing, what would it be?
- How do others on your team handle this?
- On a scale of 1-10, how big of a problem is this?
- How often does this problem occur?
- What other challenges are competing for your attention?
5. Solution Exploration (8 minutes)
If testing a new concept:“I’d like to share a concept we’re exploring. This is very early stage, and I want your honest feedback.”Show: [Prototype, wireframe, or concept description] Questions:
- What’s your first reaction?
- How would this fit into your workflow?
- What would you expect this to do?
- What’s missing?
- What concerns do you have?
- Would you use this? Why or why not?
- What would make this a must-have vs. nice-to-have?
- If this saved you [X time/money], would you use it?
- Would you pay for this? What’s it worth to you?
- Would you recommend this to colleagues?
6. Wrap-Up (2 minutes)
Questions:- Is there anything else about [topic] that I should know?
- Who else should I talk to about this?
- Can I follow up with you as we develop this further?
- Thank them for their time
- Explain what happens next
- Confirm follow-up contact method
- Send thank-you note within 24 hours
Interview Best Practices
DO
- Listen more than you talk - 80/20 rule (they talk 80%)
- Ask open-ended questions - Start with “How”, “Why”, “Tell me about”
- Dig deeper - Ask “Why?” five times to get to root causes
- Stay curious - Follow interesting threads even if off-script
- Focus on behaviour - Ask what they did, not what they think
- Take notes - Capture exact words and phrases
- Observe non-verbal cues - Tone, hesitation, excitement
DON’T
- Don’t lead the witness - Avoid “Wouldn’t you love a feature that…”
- Don’t pitch - You’re here to learn, not sell
- Don’t defend - If they criticize your product, explore why
- Don’t ask hypothetical - Focus on real experiences
- Don’t fill silence - Let them think and elaborate
- Don’t interview multiple people - 1-on-1 is more effective
- Don’t skip preparation - Generic questions yield generic insights
Power Questions
For Discovery:- “Tell me about the last time you…”
- “Walk me through how you currently…”
- “What’s the hardest part about…”
- “How do you work around that today?”
- “What does that cost you in time/money?”
- “How does that affect your clients?”
- “What would happen if you didn’t do anything about this?”
- “What would make this a must-have?”
- “How would you expect this to work?”
- “What concerns do you have?”
- “If you could only fix one thing, what would it be?”
- “What are the top 3 challenges you’re facing right now?”
Financial Services Specific Topics
Compliance & Regulatory
- What regulatory requirements affect your daily work?
- How do you ensure compliance in [process]?
- What audit or reporting requirements are most burdensome?
- Have there been recent regulatory changes that impacted you?
Risk & Security
- What risks are you most concerned about in your workflow?
- How do you handle sensitive client data?
- What security measures are most important to you?
- Have you experienced any security incidents or concerns?
Client Expectations
- What do your clients expect from you?
- How do clients measure your performance?
- What keeps your clients up at night?
- What would cause a client to leave?
After the Interview
Immediate (Same Day)
- Review notes while fresh
- Highlight key quotes
- Identify patterns and insights
- Note follow-up questions
- Send thank-you email
Within 1 Week
- Synthesize findings
- Share insights with team
- Update product hypotheses
- Plan next research steps
- Follow up with interviewee if needed
Research Report
Document findings in:/research/[topic]-interview-report.md
Include:
- Participant profile
- Key insights
- Supporting quotes
- Patterns across interviews
- Recommendations
- Next steps
Interview Question Bank
Discovery Phase
General:- What are your main responsibilities?
- What does success look like in your role?
- What metrics do you track?
- What tools do you use daily?
- Walk me through your [morning/weekly] routine
- How do you prioritise your work?
- What tasks take up most of your time?
- What could you accomplish if you had more time?
- What’s the most frustrating part of your job?
- What processes feel inefficient?
- Where do errors typically occur?
- What keeps you working late?
Solution Validation
Feature Testing:- How would you use this?
- When would you use this?
- What’s missing?
- What would you change?
- Would you pay for this?
- What alternatives have you tried?
- What do you like about [competitor]?
- What’s missing from current solutions?
- How much time would this save?
- What’s the business impact?
- Would you recommend this to others?
- What would make this indispensable?
Sample Interview Scenarios
Scenario 1: Problem Discovery (Wealth Management)
Goal: Understand portfolio rebalancing challenges Key Questions:- How often do you rebalance client portfolios?
- Walk me through your last rebalancing session
- What tools do you use?
- How long does it typically take?
- What’s the hardest part?
- What errors or issues have you encountered?
- How do clients react to rebalancing?
- What would make this easier?
Scenario 2: Feature Validation (Broker Services)
Goal: Test real-time alert concept Approach:- Show prototype of alert system
- Ask for first reaction
- Walk through use cases
- Identify must-haves vs. nice-to-haves
- Test pricing sensitivity
- Compare to current solutions
- How do you monitor market movements today?
- What types of alerts would be valuable?
- How would you configure this?
- What would you do with these alerts?
- What’s missing from this concept?
Templates & Resources
- Research report template:
/templates/research-report-template.md - Interview consent form:
/templates/interview-consent-form.md - Participant recruitment email:
/templates/recruitment-email-template.md