Customer Discovery Questions

Ash Maurya’s interview framework focuses on uncovering real customer pains and opportunities without pitching a solution. The questions are deliberately backward‑looking, forcing the interviewee to recall concrete experiences.

Key Questions

“What would have to be true for you to fix this?”
Reveals the non‑negotiable conditions that would make a solution viable.
“What would you pay to have this fixed?”
Highlights the perceived value and the maximum spend a customer is willing to commit.
“What would you rather do than fix this?”
Uncovers alternative actions and the competition the customer currently uses.
“How do you currently handle this problem?”
Surfaces existing workarounds, legacy systems, and the full scope of the pain.
“What would you do if you had unlimited resources?”
Exposes ideal outcomes and aspirational needs that can guide product vision.

Why It Works

All questions are backward‑looking, encouraging honest reflection on past problems.
No product language is used, avoiding bias toward any proposed solution.
The answers map directly onto the metrics in the Lean Canvas, making them actionable.

Implementation Tips

Pose one question per interview segment; don’t bundle them.
Follow up with specific examples when a response is vague.
Record answers verbatim; later tag them to the relevant Lean Canvas block.
Use the compiled insights to prioritize which problems merit a solution.

Source: The single most expensive interview mistake (Ash Maurya)