Essay · 5 minute read

Never Ask What They Want: 3 Better Questions to Ask in User Interviews

Chuck Liu · Medium Free Beginner

A short, practical rewrite guide showing three specific question types to swap in for what do you want, each anchored to something a person actually did rather than a preference they are guessing at. It is a fast read to keep your language sharp right before you get on a call.

  • What do you want invites a wish list, not evidence
  • Ask what someone currently does, has already tried, or last struggled with instead
  • Small wording changes turn a vague opinion into a concrete, checkable fact

The question it answers

  1. What are the questions that quietly ruin an interview by leading the person to the answer I want?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  3. A short, practical field guide to customer discovery: who to talk to, how to find them, and how many. Pairs perfectly with The... talkingtohumans.com Book · ~80 pages (free PDF available) Talking to Humans Giff Constable
  4. The standard modern playbook for keeping discovery continuous so roadmap decisions stay grounded in real customer input, not... Product Talk Book · ~240 pages Continuous Discovery Habits Teresa Torres
  5. Video · ~25 min How to Talk to Users Eric Migicovsky
  6. Video · ~20 min How to do customer interviews? | Rob Fitzpatrick, author of "The Mom Test" Rob Fitzpatrick
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →