Introduction You’re excited about a new app idea, but you also know that a good idea without real validation can derail your MVP. Many founders end up with a feature list built on assumptions, not evidence. The cure is disciplined user interviews: structured conversations that uncover true needs, job-to-be-done requirements, and early signals of product-market fit. This guide offers practical, actionable steps to design, run, and translate interviews into a focused MVP roadmap. "What should I learn from interviews?" is the right starting question. You want to know if the problem is real, who experiences it, what outcomes they want, and what they would consider a reasonable first version. When done well, interviews reduce risk and help you ship a product aligned with actual user needs. ## What makes interviews powerful for MVPs Interviews are qualitative signals, not a numeric forecast. They help you understand motivation, context, and tradeoffs that analytics alone cannot reveal. For MVP work, a purposeful interview cadence can dramatically shorten your learning cycle. Consider these realities: - The top reason startups fail is lack of market need, according to CB Insights. Interviews help you test market fit before heavy development. - Qualitative research typically reaches meaningful saturation with about 5-12 interviews per user segment, though you should keep iterating as you learn more. - Early-stage validation benefits from a mix of discovery questions (what is the problem?) and validation questions (would this solution matter to you, and would you pay for it?). ## 1) Define clear goals for the interview plan Before you pick participants, write down 3-4 concrete goals: - Confirm that the problem is real and painful enough to justify an MVP - Identify the top jobs-to-be-done that your MVP should enable - Understand how users currently handle the problem and where they experience friction - Assess willingness to try or pay for a first version Use these goals to shape your screener and your interview guide. If an insight doesn’t help you answer a goal, skip it. ## 2) Recruit the right participants A good sample is more about relevance than size: - Target 5-12 interviews per distinct user segment to start. Saturation typically appears within this range for qualitative signals. - Build a screener to ensure participants actually experience the problem and represent your early adopters. - Aim for diversity in roles, contexts, and environments to avoid one-sided conclusions. - Be transparent about time expectations and incentives to keep participation high. Tip: track who you spoke with and what you learned from each interview so nothing falls through the cracks. ## 3) Design a rigorous interview guide A well-structured guide keeps conversations focused and comparable across participants. Use a funnel: start broad, then probe for specifics, then validate discoveries. - Discovery questions (to surface context): - Tell me about a day when you encountered this problem - What other tasks were you juggling at the time? - What was the hardest part of your process? - Jobs-to-be-done and outcomes: - What would a successful outcome look like in your own words? - What metrics would show you that a solution works for you? - Validation and interest: - If a prototype could address X, would you try it? Why or why not? - What would prevent you from using this solution in your current workflow? - Price and willingness to adopt: - How would you value a first version that reduces the most painful step? - What would justify trying something new in this space? Sample interview outline: - Warm-up (2-3 minutes) - Discovery (10-15 minutes) - Jobs and outcomes (10 minutes) - Validation and interest (10-15 minutes) - Wrap-up (2-3 minutes) with a final open floor for comments Keep questions open-ended, neutral, and free of specific product language that biases responses. ## 4) Ask the right questions (without leading the answer) Open-ended prompts yield richer data than yes/no questions: - Describe how you currently approach [the problem] - What does a perfect day look like for you in this context? - What would you do differently if you could start over today? - If a tool could do X for you, what would matter most when you evaluate it? Avoid framing that hints at a particular solution. If you show a prototype, use neutral language and ask for feedback on concept, not on a preselected feature set. ## 5) Run interviews with structure and respect - Start with consent and a short explanation of the interview purpose. - Use audio or video to capture the session, but also take concise notes on key moments. - Keep interviews to 30-45 minutes to respect participants and maintain focus. - End by asking if there is anything else they would like to add and whether they’d be open to a quick follow-up test or survey. ## 6) Synthesize quickly and objectively A fast, consistent synthesis is how you turn conversations into action: - After each interview, note 3-5 top insights and any notable quotes. - Use affinity mapping to group similar themes and identify patterns across participants. - Track assumptions you are testing and mark those that are confirmed, partially confirmed, or refuted. - Share a brief findings memo with your team to prevent single-person biases from driving the MVP. ## 7) Translate insights into MVP scope Turn learnings into concrete product decisions: - Create a feature map aligned to the top jobs-to-be-done and outcomes. - Prioritize must-have items that directly reduce the most critical pain points; defer nice-to-have capabilities. - Write user stories with clear acceptance criteria and success metrics (for example, time saved, error reduction, or decreased steps in a workflow). - Draft a lean release plan: core MVP features, key flows, and a plan for rapid validation after launch. ## 8) Validate with quick experiments Testing ideas before building helps de-risk the MVP: - Build lightweight prototypes or