The Discovery Interview Questions That Actually Get Honest Answers

"Would you use this product?" is the worst question you can ask in a customer interview. The answer is almost always yes—and almost always meaningless.

After hundreds of customer discovery interviews, I've learned that getting honest answers requires specific techniques that fight against our natural tendency to be polite and agreeable.

The Mom Test Principle

Rob Fitzpatrick's "Mom Test" captures the core insight: ask questions so good that even your mom couldn't lie to you. The key is to ask about specific past behavior, not hypothetical future actions.

Bad: "Would you pay for a solution to this problem?"

Good: "Tell me about the last time you tried to solve this problem. What did you do?"

Bad: "Do you think this is important?"

Good: "Where does this rank in the problems you're actively trying to solve right now?"

Questions That Work

Understanding the Problem

Testing Assumptions

Spotting Polite Lies

Watch for red flags:

Dig deeper with: "Can you give me a specific example?" or "Tell me more about why that matters to you."

The Structure That Works

Start broad, then narrow:

1. Context: "Tell me about your role and what you're working on."

2. Problem exploration: "What's challenging about [area]?"

3. Current solutions: "How are you handling it today?"

4. Priorities: "How does this compare to other problems you're facing?"

5. Commitment test: "What would you need to see to take the next step?"

The Bottom Line

Good discovery interviews feel like conversations, not interrogations. But they require discipline to avoid the trap of validation-seeking questions that generate polite agreement instead of useful truth.