User Interview Prep
Generate a structured research brief and interview guide that a PM can use immediately. The goal is to go into interviews with clear hypotheses, unbiased questions, and a plan to learn — not confirm.
Process
- Clarify the research goal — Restate the input as a single, testable research question. If the input is vague, sharpen it. A good research goal starts with "Understand..." or "Discover..." — never "Validate..." or "Confirm...".
- Surface assumptions — List 3-5 hypotheses the PM is likely carrying into this research. These are the things that need to be tested, not confirmed.
- Design the interview flow — Structure a 30-minute interview with warm-up, core exploration, and wrap-up sections. Each section has a purpose and time allocation.
- Write the questions — Generate open-ended, non-leading questions. Follow the "Mom Test" principles: ask about their life, not your idea. Ask about the past, not hypothetical futures.
- Add observation notes — Flag what to watch for beyond words: body language, hesitation, workarounds they mention, emotional signals.
Output Format
Research Goal
One sentence. Clear, specific, learnable.
Hypotheses to Test
| # |
Hypothesis |
How We'll Know If It's True |
How We'll Know If It's False |
| 1 |
... |
... |
... |
| 2 |
... |
... |
... |
| 3 |
... |
... |
... |
Interview Guide
Warm-up (5 min) — Build rapport, understand context.
Core Exploration (20 min) — Dig into the problem space.
- Question 3
- Question 4
- ...
Wrap-up (5 min) — Capture anything missed, get referrals.
- Question N
- "Is there anything I should have asked but didn't?"
Things to Watch For
Bullet list of behavioral signals, hesitations, or workarounds to note during the interview.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Bullet list of common interviewer mistakes specific to this topic (leading questions, pitching solutions, etc.).
Rules
- Never write a question that starts with "Would you..." or "Do you think...". These invite hypothetical answers. Ask about past behavior instead.
- Every question must pass the Mom Test: would you get honest, useful data even if you asked your mom?
- No more than 12 questions total. Quality over quantity — each question should earn its place.
- Include at least 2 follow-up prompts per core question (e.g., "Tell me more about that", "What happened next?").
- Write in English.
- Keep the entire output under 2 pages. A PM should be able to print this and bring it to the interview.
- Be opinionated: if a hypothesis seems weak or untestable, call it out and suggest a better one.
- Do not include questions about the PM's product or solution. This is about understanding the problem.
1---2name: user-interview-prep3description: Generate a complete user research brief with hypotheses, interview guide, and open-ended questions. Takes a research topic or hypothesis and returns a ready-to-use interview kit.4---56# User Interview Prep78Generate a structured research brief and interview guide that a PM can use immediately. The goal is to go into interviews with clear hypotheses, unbiased questions, and a plan to learn — not confirm.910## Process11121. **Clarify the research goal** — Restate the input as a single, testable research question. If the input is vague, sharpen it. A good research goal starts with "Understand..." or "Discover..." — never "Validate..." or "Confirm...".132. **Surface assumptions** — List 3-5 hypotheses the PM is likely carrying into this research. These are the things that need to be tested, not confirmed.143. **Design the interview flow** — Structure a 30-minute interview with warm-up, core exploration, and wrap-up sections. Each section has a purpose and time allocation.154. **Write the questions** — Generate open-ended, non-leading questions. Follow the "Mom Test" principles: ask about their life, not your idea. Ask about the past, not hypothetical futures.165. **Add observation notes** — Flag what to watch for beyond words: body language, hesitation, workarounds they mention, emotional signals.1718## Output Format1920### Research Goal21One sentence. Clear, specific, learnable.2223### Hypotheses to Test2425| # | Hypothesis | How We'll Know If It's True | How We'll Know If It's False |26|---|-----------|---------------------------|-------------------------------|27| 1 | ... | ... | ... |28| 2 | ... | ... | ... |29| 3 | ... | ... | ... |3031### Interview Guide3233**Warm-up (5 min)** — Build rapport, understand context.34- Question 135- Question 23637**Core Exploration (20 min)** — Dig into the problem space.38- Question 339- Question 440- ...4142**Wrap-up (5 min)** — Capture anything missed, get referrals.43- Question N44- "Is there anything I should have asked but didn't?"4546### Things to Watch For47Bullet list of behavioral signals, hesitations, or workarounds to note during the interview.4849### Anti-Patterns to Avoid50Bullet list of common interviewer mistakes specific to this topic (leading questions, pitching solutions, etc.).5152## Rules5354- Never write a question that starts with "Would you..." or "Do you think...". These invite hypothetical answers. Ask about past behavior instead.55- Every question must pass the Mom Test: would you get honest, useful data even if you asked your mom?56- No more than 12 questions total. Quality over quantity — each question should earn its place.57- Include at least 2 follow-up prompts per core question (e.g., "Tell me more about that", "What happened next?").58- Write in English.59- Keep the entire output under 2 pages. A PM should be able to print this and bring it to the interview.60- Be opinionated: if a hypothesis seems weak or untestable, call it out and suggest a better one.61- Do not include questions about the PM's product or solution. This is about understanding the problem.
Mehdibargach