From 505bc25cb81d28fb48efef18daca1a4a9b64b826 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:35:50 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 1/7] handbook: add Continuous Discovery Interviews page The Methodology page says we gather evidence through continuous interviews, often with sales, but nothing described how to run them. The new page covers the weekly cadence, the two formats (the end of a sales call, or a dedicated call), which calls sales should flag, the interview itself, and what happens after it. Following Torres, engineers interview alongside product, and we rotate who joins. To keep sales calls about the customer, only one person from product or engineering joins a sales call, and at most two join a dedicated call. --- .../product/discovery-interviews.md | 81 +++++++++++++++++++ .../handbook/engineering/product/index.md | 1 + .../engineering/product/methodology.md | 2 +- 3 files changed, 83 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) create mode 100644 nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..32139211dc --- /dev/null +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -0,0 +1,81 @@ +--- +title: "Continuous Discovery Interviews" +--- + +# Continuous Discovery Interviews + +Product and engineering talk to customers every week, in short conversations about one real, recent experience. This page covers why we do it, the two ways an interview happens, and how to run one. It follows Teresa Torres' *Continuous Discovery Habits*, and is the practice behind [Gathering evidence](./methodology.md#gathering-evidence). + +These interviews are separate from the sales [Discovery Call](/handbook/sales/meetings/discovery/), which qualifies a deal. In an interview we only learn. We do not sell, and we do not promise features. + +## What we aim for + +- **At least two interviews a week per product team.** Torres sets one a week as the floor. A habit that runs every week is easier to keep than one that starts and stops. +- **A specific story.** We ask "Tell me about the last time you…", never "Would you use…?". Asked what they want, people describe their ideal selves. A recent story shows what actually happened, and that is what we can design for. It is also the rung-3 evidence an opportunity needs (see [Evidence](./methodology.md#evidence-how-we-know-an-opportunity-is-real)). +- **The need behind a request.** When a customer asks for a feature, we ask "If you had that, what would it do for you?" and capture the need. + +## Why it helps + +For product and engineering, stories show what customers do rather than what they say they would do. Regular conversations surface needs nobody thought to ask about, and when our focus changes, the next interviews are already booked. + +For sales, a feature request usually arrives without the reason behind it. The story shows what the customer is trying to get done, and sometimes that the product already covers it, which can move a deal forward. Customers tend to enjoy these conversations, since they are about their own work. + +## Who takes part + +Torres recommends that product managers, designers and engineers interview together. Each hears different things in the same story, and no one person becomes the only voice of the customer. So engineers join interviews as well as product. + +We also keep the number of people from FlowFuse small, so the call stays a conversation and a sales call stays about the customer: + +- **End of a sales call:** one person from product or engineering joins, next to the rep. +- **Dedicated call:** at most two of us. One interviews, the other listens and asks follow-up questions. + +We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recording and the snapshot. + +## Two ways an interview happens + +### At the end of a sales call + +5 to 20 minutes, with the customer, the rep and one of us. + +The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call. Calls to flag: + +- The customer asks for a feature or a customization. +- They ask whether we support something specific. +- They describe a new or unusual use case. +- A prospect raises a need we are working on right now. + +We keep this list current as our focus changes. + +The rep leaves time at the end, hands over, and then listens. For example: "Before we wrap up, my colleague from our product team would like a few minutes to hear about the last time you ran into this." We collect one story in the time we get, and afterwards the rep hears what we learned. + +### A dedicated call + +20 to 30 minutes, with the customer and one or two of us. No rep is needed. + +We keep a standing weekly slot that customers book themselves, so nobody has to coordinate each interview. We recruit directly, with an ask in the product, an email, or our booking link. A rep can also point a customer our way: "Our product team talks to customers every week about how they work. Here's a link to book 20 minutes with them." + +We talk to a mix of people: new and long-time users, active and quiet accounts, customers who recently left, prospects, and people like our customers. + +## Running the interview + +Both formats use the same approach: + +1. **Ask for a story.** "Tell me about the last time you…" +2. **Set the scene.** Where were they, and what were they trying to do? +3. **Walk the timeline.** "What happened next?" Most of the call goes here. +4. **Stay specific.** When we hear "usually", we go back to that one time. + +Let the customer talk about what matters most to them. Calls are recorded and transcribed in Fathom with the customer's consent (see [Sales Meetings](/handbook/sales/meetings/)), so the interviewer can listen instead of taking notes. + +## After the call + +- The same day, write a one-page interview snapshot: a memorable quote, quick facts about the customer, the story, and the needs in their own words. +- Add the story as evidence on the opportunity it supports on the [FlowFuse/product](https://github.com/FlowFuse/product) board, linking the moment in the Fathom recording. +- When a fix ships, the customer hears about it, from their rep or from us. + +## Further reading + +- [Customer interviews: how to recruit, what to ask, and how to synthesize](https://www.producttalk.org/2022/12/customer-interviews/) +- [Story-based customer interviews uncover much-needed context](https://www.producttalk.org/2024/04/story-based-customer-interviews/) +- [Automate your recruiting](https://www.producttalk.org/glossary-discovery-automate-your-recruiting/) +- [Continuous discovery fuels innovation at Sauce Labs](https://www.producttalk.org/2024/01/innovation-sauce-labs/) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/index.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/index.md index 072212cc97..558d8719e0 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/index.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/index.md @@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ The **[Product <> Leadership Sync](./methodology.md#product-meetings)** is where ## How product works - [Methodology](./methodology.md) +- [Continuous Discovery Interviews](./discovery-interviews.md) - [Glossary](./glossary.md) - [Feedback](./feedback.md) - [Product Categories](./verticals.md) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/methodology.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/methodology.md index a63a4f21c0..68274b20b7 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/methodology.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/methodology.md @@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ We are honest about which state an opportunity is in rather than dressing up a h We gather evidence continuously, not in a once-a-quarter research push: -- **Continuous interviews, often with sales.** The strongest opportunities come from specific past stories (rung 3), and sales calls are a steady source of them. We join or review sales conversations rather than running a separate research track, and listen for the moments where a customer recounts a real problem. +- **Continuous interviews, often with sales.** The strongest opportunities come from specific past stories (rung 3), and sales calls are a steady source of them. We join or review sales conversations rather than running a separate research track, and listen for the moments where a customer recounts a real problem. [Continuous Discovery Interviews](./discovery-interviews.md) describes how we run them. - **Fathom for the qualitative record.** Customer calls are recorded in Fathom; we mine the transcripts for rung-3+ stories and link the exact moment as an opportunity's evidence. See [Feedback](./feedback.md) for the full set of channels. - **PostHog for behavioural metrics.** What customers actually do (rung 5) comes from product analytics in PostHog: adoption, activation, and the [metrics](./metrics.md) that show whether an objective is moving. From 5472dec394b9e289e263bb9df075d41e020885e2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:46:18 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 2/7] Apply batched suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Dimitrie Hoekstra --- .../engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md | 14 ++++++-------- 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md index 32139211dc..ef0794a31a 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -4,13 +4,13 @@ title: "Continuous Discovery Interviews" # Continuous Discovery Interviews -Product and engineering talk to customers every week, in short conversations about one real, recent experience. This page covers why we do it, the two ways an interview happens, and how to run one. It follows Teresa Torres' *Continuous Discovery Habits*, and is the practice behind [Gathering evidence](./methodology.md#gathering-evidence). +Product and engineering should talk to customers every week, in short conversations about at least one real, recent experience to figure out answers to specific questions or hyptheses. This page covers why we do it, the two ways an interview happens, and how to run one. It is the practice behind [Gathering evidence](./methodology.md#gathering-evidence). -These interviews are separate from the sales [Discovery Call](/handbook/sales/meetings/discovery/), which qualifies a deal. In an interview we only learn. We do not sell, and we do not promise features. +These interviews have a separate intention from the sales [Discovery Call](/handbook/sales/meetings/discovery/), which qualifies a deal. In an interview we only learn. We do not sell, and we do not promise features. ## What we aim for -- **At least two interviews a week per product team.** Torres sets one a week as the floor. A habit that runs every week is easier to keep than one that starts and stops. +- **At least two interviews a week per product team.** At least one a week as the floor. A habit that runs every week is easier to keep than one that starts and stops. - **A specific story.** We ask "Tell me about the last time you…", never "Would you use…?". Asked what they want, people describe their ideal selves. A recent story shows what actually happened, and that is what we can design for. It is also the rung-3 evidence an opportunity needs (see [Evidence](./methodology.md#evidence-how-we-know-an-opportunity-is-real)). - **The need behind a request.** When a customer asks for a feature, we ask "If you had that, what would it do for you?" and capture the need. @@ -22,12 +22,12 @@ For sales, a feature request usually arrives without the reason behind it. The s ## Who takes part -Torres recommends that product managers, designers and engineers interview together. Each hears different things in the same story, and no one person becomes the only voice of the customer. So engineers join interviews as well as product. +Recommended that product teams interview together. Each hears different things in the same story, and no one person becomes the only voice of the customer. So engineers join interviews as well as product. -We also keep the number of people from FlowFuse small, so the call stays a conversation and a sales call stays about the customer: +When we join in on sales calls for discovery we should keep the number of people from FlowFuse small, so the call stays a conversation and a sales call stays about the customer and their potential deal first: - **End of a sales call:** one person from product or engineering joins, next to the rep. -- **Dedicated call:** at most two of us. One interviews, the other listens and asks follow-up questions. +- **Dedicated call:** at most three of us. One leads the interview, the other listens and asks follow-up questions. We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recording and the snapshot. @@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ Let the customer talk about what matters most to them. Calls are recorded and tr ## After the call -- The same day, write a one-page interview snapshot: a memorable quote, quick facts about the customer, the story, and the needs in their own words. - Add the story as evidence on the opportunity it supports on the [FlowFuse/product](https://github.com/FlowFuse/product) board, linking the moment in the Fathom recording. - When a fix ships, the customer hears about it, from their rep or from us. @@ -78,4 +77,3 @@ Let the customer talk about what matters most to them. Calls are recorded and tr - [Customer interviews: how to recruit, what to ask, and how to synthesize](https://www.producttalk.org/2022/12/customer-interviews/) - [Story-based customer interviews uncover much-needed context](https://www.producttalk.org/2024/04/story-based-customer-interviews/) - [Automate your recruiting](https://www.producttalk.org/glossary-discovery-automate-your-recruiting/) -- [Continuous discovery fuels innovation at Sauce Labs](https://www.producttalk.org/2024/01/innovation-sauce-labs/) From 98e1879c3b35df51c72a9dd4244a7011bb6d07eb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:50:05 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 3/7] handbook: tidy Continuous Discovery Interviews after review edits Fix the hypotheses typo and give the "interview together" sentence a subject. The dedicated call now allows up to three of us in both places it is described, and the team learns from the recording now that the snapshot step is gone. Add two reasons from the one-pager: interviews keep our picture of customers current, and one story can show that several feature requests share one need. --- .../engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md | 14 +++++++------- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md index ef0794a31a..0ab9e5be3f 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ title: "Continuous Discovery Interviews" # Continuous Discovery Interviews -Product and engineering should talk to customers every week, in short conversations about at least one real, recent experience to figure out answers to specific questions or hyptheses. This page covers why we do it, the two ways an interview happens, and how to run one. It is the practice behind [Gathering evidence](./methodology.md#gathering-evidence). +Product and engineering should talk to customers every week, in short conversations about at least one real, recent experience to figure out answers to specific questions or hypotheses. This page covers why we do it, the two ways an interview happens, and how to run one. It is the practice behind [Gathering evidence](./methodology.md#gathering-evidence). These interviews have a separate intention from the sales [Discovery Call](/handbook/sales/meetings/discovery/), which qualifies a deal. In an interview we only learn. We do not sell, and we do not promise features. @@ -16,20 +16,20 @@ These interviews have a separate intention from the sales [Discovery Call](/hand ## Why it helps -For product and engineering, stories show what customers do rather than what they say they would do. Regular conversations surface needs nobody thought to ask about, and when our focus changes, the next interviews are already booked. +For product and engineering, stories show what customers do rather than what they say they would do. Regular conversations surface needs nobody thought to ask about, and keep our picture of customers current, which goes out of date the longer we go without talking to them. When our focus changes, the next interviews are already booked. -For sales, a feature request usually arrives without the reason behind it. The story shows what the customer is trying to get done, and sometimes that the product already covers it, which can move a deal forward. Customers tend to enjoy these conversations, since they are about their own work. +For sales, a feature request usually arrives without the reason behind it. The story shows what the customer is trying to get done, and sometimes that the product already covers it, which can move a deal forward. Different customers often ask for different features that share one need, so the story can point to one solution that covers several requests. Customers tend to enjoy these conversations, since they are about their own work. ## Who takes part -Recommended that product teams interview together. Each hears different things in the same story, and no one person becomes the only voice of the customer. So engineers join interviews as well as product. +Product teams interview together. Each person hears different things in the same story, and no one person becomes the only voice of the customer. So engineers join interviews as well as product. When we join in on sales calls for discovery we should keep the number of people from FlowFuse small, so the call stays a conversation and a sales call stays about the customer and their potential deal first: - **End of a sales call:** one person from product or engineering joins, next to the rep. -- **Dedicated call:** at most three of us. One leads the interview, the other listens and asks follow-up questions. +- **Dedicated call:** at most three of us. One leads the interview, the others listen and ask follow-up questions. -We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recording and the snapshot. +We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recording. ## Two ways an interview happens @@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ The rep leaves time at the end, hands over, and then listens. For example: "Befo ### A dedicated call -20 to 30 minutes, with the customer and one or two of us. No rep is needed. +20 to 30 minutes, with the customer and up to three of us. No rep is needed. We keep a standing weekly slot that customers book themselves, so nobody has to coordinate each interview. We recruit directly, with an ask in the product, an email, or our booking link. A rep can also point a customer our way: "Our product team talks to customers every week about how they work. Here's a link to book 20 minutes with them." From f715b8b15cb64738a3141cd96a0cca8459dec9f3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:51:50 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 4/7] handbook: add summary and format comparison tables to discovery interviews A one-row summary under the intro gives cadence, length, what we collect and the two formats at a glance. A table under "Two ways an interview happens" compares the formats side by side (length, who is there, how it starts, sales' part, our part), so the per-format sections drop their duplicated length and attendee lines. --- .../engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md | 16 ++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md index 0ab9e5be3f..9c3ec8b6a8 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ Product and engineering should talk to customers every week, in short conversati These interviews have a separate intention from the sales [Discovery Call](/handbook/sales/meetings/discovery/), which qualifies a deal. In an interview we only learn. We do not sell, and we do not promise features. +| Cadence | Length | What we collect | Formats | +| --- | --- | --- | --- | +| At least two a week per product team | 5 to 30 minutes | A specific, recent story | The end of a sales call, or a dedicated call | + ## What we aim for - **At least two interviews a week per product team.** At least one a week as the floor. A habit that runs every week is easier to keep than one that starts and stops. @@ -33,9 +37,15 @@ We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recordin ## Two ways an interview happens -### At the end of a sales call +| | End of a sales call | Dedicated call | +| --- | --- | --- | +| Length | 5 to 20 minutes | 20 to 30 minutes | +| Who's there | The customer, the rep and one of us | The customer and up to three of us | +| How it starts | The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call | The customer books our weekly slot, after an ask in the product, an email or our booking link | +| Sales' part | Leave time at the end, hand over, then listen | Not needed | +| Our part | One story in the time we get, then the rep hears what we learned | One story | -5 to 20 minutes, with the customer, the rep and one of us. +### At the end of a sales call The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call. Calls to flag: @@ -50,8 +60,6 @@ The rep leaves time at the end, hands over, and then listens. For example: "Befo ### A dedicated call -20 to 30 minutes, with the customer and up to three of us. No rep is needed. - We keep a standing weekly slot that customers book themselves, so nobody has to coordinate each interview. We recruit directly, with an ask in the product, an email, or our booking link. A rep can also point a customer our way: "Our product team talks to customers every week about how they work. Here's a link to book 20 minutes with them." We talk to a mix of people: new and long-time users, active and quiet accounts, customers who recently left, prospects, and people like our customers. From d5373c044981609fe904c7dfd3cd3951cd2ba0d4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:56:59 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 5/7] handbook: rep and product agree the order of a sales call beforehand Per review, the rep and whoever joins from product or engineering plan ahead of the call how to run it and when to hand over, rather than the rep only leaving time at the end. --- .../handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md index 9c3ec8b6a8..7630fd5f37 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recordin | Length | 5 to 20 minutes | 20 to 30 minutes | | Who's there | The customer, the rep and one of us | The customer and up to three of us | | How it starts | The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call | The customer books our weekly slot, after an ask in the product, an email or our booking link | -| Sales' part | Leave time at the end, hand over, then listen | Not needed | +| Sales' part | Agree the order of the call with us beforehand, hand over, then listen | Not needed | | Our part | One story in the time we get, then the rep hears what we learned | One story | ### At the end of a sales call @@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call. Calls to flag: We keep this list current as our focus changes. -The rep leaves time at the end, hands over, and then listens. For example: "Before we wrap up, my colleague from our product team would like a few minutes to hear about the last time you ran into this." We collect one story in the time we get, and afterwards the rep hears what we learned. +Ahead of the call, the rep and whoever joins from product or engineering agree how to run it, including when to hand over. The rep then hands over and listens. For example: "Before we wrap up, my colleague from our product team would like a few minutes to hear about the last time you ran into this." We collect one story in the time we get, and afterwards the rep hears what we learned. ### A dedicated call From 3974416f840cf60b2269200b32d649c610755192 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:03:28 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 6/7] handbook: make the dedicated interview call less prescriptive Keep the defined weekly slot but leave how it gets filled to the team, instead of prescribing self-booking, recruiting channels and a booking link. The mix of people to talk to becomes something to aim for over time. --- .../handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md | 6 +++--- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md index 7630fd5f37..4b60a8cb26 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ We rotate who joins and who leads. The rest of the team learns from the recordin | --- | --- | --- | | Length | 5 to 20 minutes | 20 to 30 minutes | | Who's there | The customer, the rep and one of us | The customer and up to three of us | -| How it starts | The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call | The customer books our weekly slot, after an ask in the product, an email or our booking link | +| How it starts | The rep spots a trigger and adds us to the call | We invite the customer into our weekly slot | | Sales' part | Agree the order of the call with us beforehand, hand over, then listen | Not needed | | Our part | One story in the time we get, then the rep hears what we learned | One story | @@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ Ahead of the call, the rep and whoever joins from product or engineering agree h ### A dedicated call -We keep a standing weekly slot that customers book themselves, so nobody has to coordinate each interview. We recruit directly, with an ask in the product, an email, or our booking link. A rep can also point a customer our way: "Our product team talks to customers every week about how they work. Here's a link to book 20 minutes with them." +We keep a defined weekly slot for these interviews. How we fill it is up to the team, for example through a rep or by reaching out ourselves. -We talk to a mix of people: new and long-time users, active and quiet accounts, customers who recently left, prospects, and people like our customers. +Over time, aim for a mix of people, such as new and long-time users, active and quiet accounts, customers who recently left, prospects, and people like our customers. ## Running the interview From 092b1beb8a3427385c81cea19a5276a73ae16d98 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dimitrie Hoekstra Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:26:55 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 7/7] Apply suggestion from @dimitrieh --- .../content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md | 1 + 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+) diff --git a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md index 4b60a8cb26..84d5cf3c99 100644 --- a/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md +++ b/nuxt/content/handbook/engineering/product/discovery-interviews.md @@ -85,3 +85,4 @@ Let the customer talk about what matters most to them. Calls are recorded and tr - [Customer interviews: how to recruit, what to ask, and how to synthesize](https://www.producttalk.org/2022/12/customer-interviews/) - [Story-based customer interviews uncover much-needed context](https://www.producttalk.org/2024/04/story-based-customer-interviews/) - [Automate your recruiting](https://www.producttalk.org/glossary-discovery-automate-your-recruiting/) +- [Platform teams signal work](https://sujithjay.com/inventing-work#continuous-discovery)