Customer Research Task
Remove bias from customer interview questions
Leading questions and solution framing are turning valuable conversations into false reassurance.
“This is costing me interview time while the evidence keeps confirming my own framing.”
The result you need
A short guide elicits comparable accounts of real events while leaving room for unexpected answers.
What is happening now
Where the work gets stuck
A founder, entrepreneur in residence, or operator has interviews booked and a favoured product idea.
- When it starts
- The interview guide must be ready before the first session.
- What makes it difficult
- Yes-or-no questions, evaluative words, and solution framing can cue the answer and obscure recent behaviour.
- What progress looks like
- Every core question is open, asks about a recent event, and avoids naming the preferred solution.
What to try next
Write a neutral, event-based interview guide
Produce a short guide that asks about real events and keeps the preferred solution out of the answer.
Before you act
Check these limits
- Keep the same core guide across the round.
- Record spontaneous probes separately.
- Do not claim that a wording review removes all interviewer bias.
Sources
Check the research behind this advice
Read the sources before relying on a claim or recommendation.