STARTUP GRAND RAPIDS — CUSTOMER DISCOVERY GUIDE
Free educational resource. Not financial or legal advice.

BEFORE THE CONVERSATION
Choose a customer segment and one assumption to test.
Ask permission to take notes. Do not record without explicit consent.
Avoid selling your idea; focus on their actual experience.

QUESTIONS
Tell me about the last time you experienced this problem.
What triggered it? What did you do next?
What tools or people did you use? What did that cost in time or money?
What was most difficult? What have you already tried?
Who else is involved in deciding how to solve it?
May I follow up after I have learned more?

AFTER THE CONVERSATION
What did they actually do, rather than say they might do?
Which assumptions were supported? Which were challenged?
What patterns appear across multiple conversations?
What should you test next?
Keep personal information private and only collect what you need.