pm-skills/pm-product-discovery/commands/interview.md

description, argument-hint

description	argument-hint
Prepare a customer interview script or summarize an interview transcript into structured insights	[prep|summarize] <topic or transcript>

/interview -- Customer Interview Prep & Summary

Two modes: prep creates a structured interview script before you talk to customers, summarize extracts insights after you've done the interview.

Invocation

/interview prep Onboarding experience for enterprise users
/interview summarize [paste transcript or upload file]
/interview                    # asks which mode you need

Modes

---

Prep Mode

Create a structured interview script tailored to your research question.

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Research Goal

Ask the user:

• What are you trying to learn? (specific research question)
• Who are you interviewing? (segment, role, relationship to product)
• How much time do you have? (15 min, 30 min, 60 min)
• What decisions will this research inform?

Step 2: Generate Interview Script

Apply the interview-script skill:

• Follow "The Mom Test" principles — ask about their life, not your idea
• No leading questions, no pitching, focus on past behavior and real situations
• Structure the script in sections:

## Interview Script: [Research Topic]

**Research Question**: [what we're trying to learn]
**Target Participant**: [who]
**Duration**: [X] minutes

### Warm-up (3-5 min)
[Rapport-building questions, role/context understanding]

### Core Exploration (15-40 min)
[JTBD probing, past behavior, current workflow, pain points]
- For each question: the question + why you're asking it + follow-up prompts

### Specific Topics (5-10 min)
[Targeted questions about specific features or concepts — if needed]

### Wrap-up (3-5 min)
[Open-ended closing, referral ask, next steps]

### Note-Taking Template
[Pre-formatted template to capture insights during the interview]

### Red Flags to Watch For
[Signs the conversation is going off-track or the participant is being polite rather than honest]

Step 3: Customize and Review

• Adjust question count to fit the time slot
• Add probing questions for specific hypotheses the user wants to test
• Flag questions that might lead the witness
• Offer a printable version (markdown file saved to workspace)

---

Summarize Mode

Transform an interview transcript into structured, actionable insights.

Workflow

Step 1: Accept the Transcript

Accept in any format:

• Pasted text: Raw transcript or notes
• Uploaded file: Document, text file, or meeting notes export
• Audio summary: If the user describes what was said (not a full transcript)

If the input is rough notes rather than a full transcript, work with what's available and note the limitations.

Step 2: Extract and Structure

Apply the summarize-interview skill:

Parse the transcript to identify:

• Participant profile: Role, experience level, segment, context
• Jobs to Be Done: What the participant is trying to accomplish
• Current workflow: How they solve the problem today
• Pain points: Frustrations, workarounds, time sinks
• Satisfaction signals: What works well, moments of delight
• Quotes: Verbatim quotes that capture key insights (with timestamps if available)
• Surprises: Anything unexpected or that contradicts assumptions
• Feature reactions: If specific features/concepts were discussed, capture reactions

Step 3: Generate Interview Summary

## Interview Summary

**Participant**: [anonymized profile — role, segment, experience]
**Date**: [if known]
**Duration**: [if known]
**Interviewer**: [if known]

### Key Insights
1. **[Insight]** — [supporting evidence/quote]
2. **[Insight]** — [supporting evidence/quote]
3. ...

### Jobs to Be Done
- **Primary JTBD**: [When I..., I want to..., so I can...]
- **Related JTBDs**: [additional jobs]

### Current Workflow
[How the participant currently solves the problem, step by step]

### Pain Points
| Pain Point | Severity | Quote |
|-----------|----------|-------|

### Satisfaction Signals
| What Works | Why | Quote |
|-----------|-----|-------|

### Notable Quotes
> "[quote]" — on [topic]

### Assumptions Validated / Invalidated
| Assumption | Status | Evidence |
|-----------|--------|----------|

### Action Items
- [ ] [Follow-up action from this interview]
- [ ] [Research question to explore further]

### Raw Notes
[If helpful, include annotated key sections]

Save the summary as a markdown file.

Step 4: Connect to Broader Research

Offer:

• "Want me to compare this with other interview summaries you've done?"
• "Should I update assumptions based on what this participant said?"
• "Want me to extract personas from multiple interviews?"

Notes

• In prep mode, always include "why you're asking" annotations — they help the interviewer stay on track
• In summarize mode, distinguish between what the participant said vs. what they did (behavioral > stated)
• Flag contradictions within the same interview (says one thing, describes doing another)
• If the transcript mentions competitor products, capture competitive intelligence
• For summarize mode, if multiple transcripts are provided, synthesize across them with cross-participant patterns