The Mom Test

Because even your mom will lie to you about your idea to be supportive. The method is a set of rules for asking questions so good that even a biased person cannot give you a useless answer. You do it by never pitching and only asking about their life.

Ask about past behavior and specifics: "When did you last face this? What did you do? What did it cost you?" Facts about the past are reliable; opinions about the future are not.

Anything hypothetical or leading: "Would you use this?" or "Do you think this is a good idea?" These invite polite lies. Never ask people to predict their own future behavior.

Enough to hear patterns repeat, often 15 to 30 in a segment. Three is too few to trust. Stop when new conversations stop surprising you.

Yes, arguably better, because business problems come with budgets and measurable costs. Ask how they handle the problem today, what tools they pay for, and what breaks. The same past-behavior rules apply.

Surveys capture stated opinions at scale, which are easy to fake. The Mom Test is a conversation that digs into real past behavior and context. Use interviews to learn, and surveys only to quantify what you already learned.