How to Interview Potential Customers Before Development
Talking to potential customers before writing any code is one of the cheapest, highest-leverage things a founder can do — and also one of the most commonly done badly. A rushed, leading, or poorly targeted interview can produce a comforting but misleading picture of demand. Here’s how to interview potential customers properly before development starts.
Why Interviews Come Before Everything Else
Interviews are the foundation validation method because they’re the only one that lets you understand a problem in the target customer’s own words, before you’ve committed to any particular solution. Landing pages and waitlists test reactions to something you’ve already built or designed; interviews happen earlier, when you can still change direction cheaply based on what you learn.
Finding the Right People to Interview
Start with a specific description of who has the problem — not “startup founders” but “solo founders who’ve raised a first round and are hiring their first employee.” The more specific the description, the easier it is to find people who match it and the more useful their answers will be. Reach out through relevant communities, direct outreach, warm introductions, or existing networks, but be wary of relying too heavily on friends and close contacts, who tend to be more agreeable than a representative stranger would be.
Structuring the Conversation
Open with their world, not yours
Start by asking about their current situation and process, not your idea. “Tell me about how you currently handle X” opens the door to real, unprompted detail.
Dig into specifics
Follow up general answers with specific questions: “When was the last time that happened?” “What did you do?” “How long did it take?” Specific memories are far more reliable than general impressions.
Ask about cost
“What does this cost you — in time, money, or stress?” helps you understand whether the problem is significant enough to justify a new solution.
Hold off on your idea
Resist describing your product until near the end of the conversation, if at all. Once you mention your idea, answers shift from honest reflection to polite reaction. For more on the specific traps this avoids, see how to validate demand without asking “would you use this?”.
How Many Interviews You Need
There’s no universal number, but most founders need at least ten to fifteen interviews with a consistent, specific audience before real patterns emerge. Fewer than that and you risk mistaking one person’s opinion for a broader trend; the goal is repetition — the same frustration, the same workaround, described independently by multiple people.
What Good Interview Notes Look Like
| Weak Note | Strong Note |
|---|---|
| “They seemed interested.” | “They currently spend 3 hours weekly reconciling spreadsheets manually.” |
| “They said it sounds useful.” | “They’ve tried two other tools and abandoned both within a month.” |
| “They’d probably use it.” | “They asked when they could start using it, unprompted.” |
Strong notes capture specific, behavior-based detail rather than general impressions — the kind of evidence discussed in customer discovery interview questions that reveal real problems.
Turning Interviews Into a Decision
After each round of interviews, look for what repeats. A single person’s frustration is a data point; the same frustration surfacing independently across multiple conversations is a pattern worth acting on. Use that pattern, not any individual anecdote, to decide whether and how to move forward — following the broader approach in how to prove demand for a startup idea.
From Interviews to Development
Once your interviews reveal a consistent, specific, costly problem shared by a reachable audience, you have a strong foundation to scope an MVP — one built around the exact language, workflow, and pain points your interviewees described, rather than assumptions made in isolation.
Ready to Run Customer Interviews the Right Way?
MVPHUB helps founders design and run customer interviews that surface real problems, then scopes a focused MVP once the evidence holds up. Book a free consultation with MVPHUB to plan your interviews.
Book a free consultation with MVPHUBFrequently Asked Questions
Who should I interview before building software?
Interview people who currently experience the problem you're trying to solve, ideally in a specific, well-defined role or situation, rather than a broad general audience. Specificity makes the interviews far more useful.
How should I ask people to interview with me?
Be direct and honest — explain you're researching a problem, not pitching a product, and ask for 20-30 minutes of their time. Framing it as research rather than a sales pitch tends to get more honest, useful answers.
What should I avoid doing during a customer interview?
Avoid describing your product idea early, asking leading or hypothetical questions, and filling silences for the interviewee. The goal is to hear their unprompted experience, not to confirm what you already believe.
How do I know when I've done enough interviews?
When new interviews stop revealing new information and start repeating patterns you've already heard, you're likely close to enough. Most founders need at least ten to fifteen interviews before clear patterns emerge.
Should I interview people before or after I have a specific product idea?
Before, if possible. Interviewing without a specific solution in mind keeps your questions focused on understanding the problem rather than validating a solution you're already attached to.
