FDE Times: Talking to Humans — polite “would this help?” questions only get you a yes; ask what happened last time
A 5 November FDE Times review of Giff Constable’s 2014 Talking to Humans (with Frank Rimalovski) argues that FDEs waste discovery when they pitch mid-session or only interview the champion. Ask about the last time the customer hit the problem, end every session by asking for 1–3 more people to talk to, and write notes immediately so product and ML teams can use them.
FDE Times’ 5 November books review applies Giff Constable’s Talking to Humans (2014, with Frank Rimalovski) to the first week an FDE spends on a customer site. The book and its 2012 precursor, “12 Tips for Early Customer Development Interviews,” treat qualitative customer development as a craft: learn, don’t sell.
The piece flags three habits that kill useful discovery. Asking “Do you think this tool would help you?” almost always draws a polite yes that specifies nothing. Pitching mid-story turns the session into a sales call. Listening only to the champion who signed the deal skews answers the same way friends and family do.
Instead, rewrite opinion questions as “The last time you…, what happened?”, paste a referral ask at the end of every script so each interview yields 1–3 more day-to-day operators, and block 15 minutes right after each session to write notes in the speaker’s own words. For FDE careers, job ads that mention customer discovery are where this skill shows; on a CV, count interviews led and name one technical decision that changed because of a customer story.
Source: fdetimes.net