Article · 15 min read

Story-Based Customer Interviews Uncover Much-Needed Context

Teresa Torres · Product Talk Free Intermediate

Torres makes the single most important move concrete: instead of asking what people generally do, ask them to tell you about a specific recent time it happened. Because memory beats opinion, a real story surfaces the pain and context you would otherwise lead them toward. This is the practical heart of talking about their past, not your future.

• Ask 'tell me about the last time', not 'do you usually'
• Specific stories expose real behaviour, opinions hide it
• Let the customer do most of the talking through the story