Getting meaningful insights from customer interviews requires a structured approach. The funnel technique helps you move from broad topics to specific, actionable details.
Many customer interviews produce generic, unhelpful responses because they ask the wrong questions in the wrong order.
Starting with a specific question before understanding the customer's context is a common mistake, just like asking leading questions that will instill a bias in the responses. When new to customer interviews it's easy to jump between topics without building understanding first and focus on opinions rather than observations.
The result? Customers give you the answers they think you want to hear, not the truth about their experiences.
The interview funnel has three stages, like an actual funnel:
- Wide opening: Start with broad, open-ended questions to understand the customer's world.
- Narrowing middle: Focus on specific situations and behaviors
- Focused bottom: Drill down into details that inform design decisions.
This structure helps customers share their real experiences rather than their idealized memories or assumptions.
Begin with questions that help customers think about their broader context and goals.
Good opening questions:
- "Tell me about the last time you..."
- "Walk me through a typical day when you..."
- "What's most important to you when you..."
These questions get customers talking about real situations rather than abstract preferences. They also help you understand the broader context that shapes their behavior.
So instead of asking "What features do you want in a banking app?" start with "Tell me about the last time you needed to check your account balance while you were out."
Once you understand the context, focus on specific behaviors and decision-making processes.
Good narrowing questions:
- "What did you do next?"
- "How did you decide between those options?"
- "What was going through your mind at that moment?"
These questions reveal the actual steps customers take and the factors that influence their decisions. You learn about workarounds, frustrations, and unmet needs.
In a real interview it would look like: "You mentioned you checked your balance on your phone. What made you choose to use the app instead of calling the bank or using an ATM?"
Finally, drill down into specific details that can inform design decisions.
Good detail questions:
- "Show me exactly how you did that"
- "What would have made that easier?"
- "What almost stopped you from continuing?"
These questions uncover specific pain points and opportunities for improvement. They also reveal the small details that can make or break a customer experience.
"You said the app was slow to load. Can you show me what you did while you were waiting? How long did you wait before you considered giving up?"
Leading questions bias responses and prevent you from learning about customers' actual emotional reactions. So instead of asking "How frustrated were you when the app crashed?" ask your customers "What happened next?"
As pointed out earlier, jumping between topics confuses customers and prevents you from understanding complete experiences. So don't ask them about mobile apps, then website preferences, then customer service, then back to mobile features. But follow one complete journey from start to finish before moving to a different topic.
Something customers do quite regularly is generalizing behavior, especially their own. So, don't accept it when a customers says "I always do X" or "I never do Y". But instead follow up with a question: "Tell me about the last time you did X. What was different about that situation?"
Conducting customer interviews is not easy to master, but it is very fun to do! Some practical tips:
Start with recent, specific events"Tell me about the last time..." works better than "How do you usually..." because recent events are easier to remember accurately.
Use silence effectively
After asking a question, wait for the customer to respond fully. Comfortable silence often leads to more detailed, honest answers.
Follow the customer's language
If a customer calls something a "dashboard," use that term instead of your internal terminology like "account overview."
Take notes on emotions
Pay attention to tone of voice, hesitation, and emotional reactions. These often reveal more than the words themselves.
