Questions not to ask your customers

People are nice. Ask them about your idea and they'll be kind, especially if they know you. The problem isn't them. It's the question.

A bad question sends you out of the interview happy and confident, having learned nothing.

Instead of this… ask this

• "What do you think of my idea?" → "Tell me about the last time you hit this problem."
• "Would you use an app that does X?" → "How do you handle it today? Show me."
• "How much would you pay for a fix?" → "What did it cost you last time, in money or time?"
• "Would you use it every day?" → "How many times did this happen last month?"
• "What features do you want?" → "What's the hardest part of this? Why?"

The rule

Ask about the past, not the future. What already happened is fact. What "might happen" is a guess wrapped in politeness.

Write down their answers in their own words, not yours. The phrases customers use to describe their problem will come in handy later for your landing page and ads.

And make sure you're the one listening most. If you catch yourself explaining and defending your idea, the interview has turned into a sales pitch.

How do you know an interview went well? You leave with a clear next step: a second meeting, a trial, or an intro to someone else. No next step usually means it was just politeness.

Before your next interview: go through your questions and cut any that contain "would" or "do you think."

Idea from YC.