Interview Script·45 min·10 questions
Understanding why Customer Success Managers abandon analytics dashboards after initial trial
You've built an analytics dashboard that CSMs access once or twice, then never return to. The usage data shows they're logging in, clicking around briefly, but not establishing any routine or workflow with the feature. You need to understand what's happening in those first sessions that's causing them to walk away.
Why standard questions fail here
Direct questions about dashboard preferences miss the moment-by-moment experience that shapes abandonment. This script reconstructs their actual first sessions by anchoring in specific workflows they were trying to complete, walking through their exact sequence of clicks and thoughts, then identifying the precise friction points or unmet expectations that made them close the tab and not come back.
Sample Questions
Grounded in The Mom Test and Jobs-to-be-Done.
JTBD: Establish job context before diving into specific tools. Creates psychological safety.
Let them talk freely. Don't interrupt. Note the tools and processes they mention naturally.
- What's the most time-consuming part of your day?
- What tools do you find yourself using most often?
- Generic job descriptions instead of personal daily reality
Mom Test: Ask about specific past behavior rather than opinions. JTBD: Identify the struggling moment that led to hiring the product.
Use the 'walk me through' technique to get step-by-step behavioral details. Probe for the emotional context.
- What were you hoping it would help you accomplish?
- How did you find out about the dashboard feature?
- What was happening in your work that made you think to try it?
- Vague 'I thought it looked useful' instead of specific trigger moment
Mom Test: Focus on actual behavior, not opinions about the feature. Behavioral observation reveals usability issues.
Ask them to share their screen or describe click-by-click if possible. Stay silent during their description.
- What did you expect to see that you didn't?
- Which part did you spend the most time on?
- What confused you, if anything?
- High-level summaries like 'I looked around' instead of specific actions
JTBD: Understanding the re-hiring decision reveals what initial value they perceived. Mom Test: Past behavior over hypotheticals.
Probe for the specific job they were trying to accomplish in that second session.
- Was your experience different the second time?
- Did it help you accomplish what you needed?
- How long did you spend with it that second time?
- 'I wanted to give it another try' without specific job context
JTBD: Identify the firing moment - when they stopped hiring the product. Critical incident technique to uncover specific triggers.
Use laddering technique: ask 'what happened next?' repeatedly. Focus on the emotional journey, not just rational factors.
- What were you trying to accomplish when you realized it wasn't working?
- How did that make you feel?
- Was there a specific moment of frustration?
- Generic reasons like 'lack of time' without specific incident context
JTBD: Understand the competing solution they hired instead. Mom Test: Focus on actual current behavior.
Probe for the complete workaround workflow. Don't assume they found a perfect alternative.
- Walk me through how you do this task today
- How long does your current approach take?
- What's frustrating about your current method?
- Theoretical solutions instead of describing their actual current process
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