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CODITECT Interactive Interview Playbook

Version: 1.0 | Classification: Field Guide — Conversation Execution Purpose: Make customer validation interviews predictable, interactive, and genuinely enjoyable for both the interviewer and the interviewee.

The CODITECT Conversation Model: OPEN → DIG → TEST → CLOSE​

Every interview follows four phases. Think of it like a jazz structure — the form is predictable, the content is improvised.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  OPEN (2 min)        Set the stage, build rapport        │
│  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│  DIG (8-10 min)      Explore their world, find signals   │
│  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│  TEST (3-5 min)      Push on signals, extract specifics  │
│  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│  CLOSE (2 min)       Ask for commitment, get intros      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Phase 1: OPEN — The First 2 Minutes​

The goal is to make them feel like they're helping a friend, not participating in a research study.

Opening Scripts by Context​

Warm intro (mutual connection):

"Hey — [name] mentioned you'd be a great person to talk to about [domain]. I'm trying to understand how [role/industry] people actually deal with [broad topic]. Would love to hear your perspective — no pitch, just trying to learn."

Cold but targeted (event, LinkedIn, community):

"I noticed you [specific thing: posted about X, spoke at Y, work in Z]. I'm digging into how people in [domain] handle [broad topic] and thought you might have interesting takes. Got 15 minutes for a coffee chat?"

Casual / organic (conference, meetup, dinner party):

"So what do you do? ... Oh interesting — I've been curious about [domain]. What's the most annoying part of [broad topic] for you guys?"

Existing relationship (friend, colleague, investor):

"I'm exploring an area and want to make sure I'm not fooling myself. Can I ask you some questions about how [domain] actually works? I need honest answers, not encouragement."

The Anti-Pitch Commitment​

Say this early — it disarms them and sets the right expectations:

"Just so you know — I don't have anything to sell you. I'm genuinely trying to understand [domain] better. The most helpful thing you can do is be brutally honest, even if it's bad news for me."

Why this works: It preemptively kills the social pressure to be polite. When they know you want honesty, they give it to you.

Phase 2: DIG — The Exploration (8-10 Minutes)​

This is where you live. You're a detective, not a salesperson.

The Funnel Technique​

Start wide. Get narrower only when THEY lead you there.

Wide open:

"What's eating up most of your [time/budget/attention] right now?"

Listen. Don't interrupt. Let them talk for 30-60 seconds.

If they mention your problem area (jackpot — they raised it, not you):

"You mentioned [X]. Tell me more about that — what does that actually look like day-to-day?"

If they DON'T mention your problem area (important signal):

"Interesting. Where does [your domain] fit into all of that?"

If they still don't bite, that's data. This problem isn't top-of-mind for them. You can probe once more, but if it's still not there, they're probably not your customer.

The Story Prompt Toolkit​

These phrases trigger stories instead of opinions. Stories contain behavioral facts. Opinions contain nothing.

Trigger PhraseWhat It Does
"Walk me through the last time that happened."Anchors to a real event
"What did you do next?"Reveals actual behavior
"And then what happened?"Keeps the story going
"How did that turn out?"Gets to outcomes and consequences
"Who else was involved?"Maps the stakeholder landscape
"What surprised you about that?"Surfaces non-obvious insights
"What would have happened if you hadn't done [X]?"Quantifies the stakes
"How long ago was that?"Anchors the timeline

The Deflection Toolkit​

When the conversation goes off the rails — and it will — use these to get back on track.

When They Give You a Compliment​

They say: "Oh, that sounds like a really cool idea!"

You say (pick one):

  • "Thanks — but I'm trying to figure out if it actually solves a real problem. Tell me about the last time you dealt with [X]."
  • "That's kind of you to say. But honestly, the thing I'm most worried about is [scary question]. What's your experience with that?"
  • "I appreciate that. But I've learned that cool ideas and useful products are different things. Help me understand — how are you handling this today?"

Internal mantra: Compliments are the fool's gold of customer learning. Shiny, distracting, and worthless.

When They Give You Fluff​

They say: "Yeah, I would totally use something like that."

You say (pick one):

  • "When's the last time [problem] actually came up for you?"
  • "Have you tried to solve this before? What happened?"
  • "How much are you spending on this problem right now?"
  • "What did you do the last time this happened?"

The anchor technique: Every time they give you a generic or hypothetical statement, anchor it to a specific past event. "I would totally do X" becomes "When's the last time you actually did X?"

When They Start Pitching You Their Idea​

They say: "You know what you should really build? A feature that does [X]."

You say:

  • "Interesting — why would that matter to you? What are you dealing with that makes that important?"
  • "What's happening right now that makes you think of that?"
  • "Have you looked for something that does that? What did you find?"

The rule: Ideas and feature requests should be understood, but never obeyed. The MOTIVATION behind the request is gold. The request itself is noise.

When They Go Silent or Give Short Answers​

They say: "Yeah." / "I don't know." / "It's fine, I guess."

You say (pick one):

  • "Can you tell me more about what 'fine' looks like? Walk me through a typical [process]."
  • Comfortable silence. Count to 5. People fill silences with truth.
  • "That's helpful. A lot of people I've talked to have strong feelings about [X]. What's been your experience?"
  • "No worries if it's not top of mind. What IS the thing that frustrates you most about [broader domain]?"

When YOU Almost Pitch (Catch Yourself)​

Your brain says: "Oh! I should tell them about the feature we're building for exactly this!"

Stop. Breathe. Say instead:

  • "That's really interesting. Tell me more about [the thing they just said]."
  • Write it down. Circle it. Come back to it in your post-conversation debrief. But do NOT pitch right now.

The internal rule: Every time you pitch, you pollute the data. You're here to learn, not to sell. Selling comes later, to people whose problems you actually understand.

Phase 3: TEST — Pushing for Specifics (3-5 Minutes)​

By now you've heard stories, identified signals, and formed hypotheses. Time to stress-test them.

The "Why Do You Bother?" Probe​

When they describe a problem or workaround:

"Why do you put up with that? What would happen if you just... didn't?"

This separates must-solve problems from meh-whatever problems. If the answer is "we'd lose money / fail an audit / miss a deadline / get fired," it's real. If the answer is "it'd be annoying but we'd figure it out," it might not be worth building for.

The "Implications" Probe​

"What are the actual consequences when [problem] happens?"

Listen for:

  • 🟢 Real consequences: "We lost a $200K deal." / "The FDA cited us." / "I worked the whole weekend."
  • 🔴 Fake consequences: "It's kind of frustrating." / "It's not ideal." / "It could potentially be an issue."

The "Cost" Probe​

"Roughly how much does this cost you — in time, money, or both?"

People are more honest about costs than prices. They'll often show you what a problem is worth even when they won't tell you what they'd pay.

The "Search" Probe​

"Have you actively looked for a better way to handle this? What did you find?"

If they haven't searched, the problem isn't painful enough. Full stop.

Phase 4: CLOSE — Commitment and Expansion (2 Minutes)​

Never end a conversation without asking for something concrete.

The Commitment Ask​

Match your ask to your stage:

Very early (still exploring):

"This has been incredibly helpful. Would you be open to a follow-up conversation in a couple weeks once I've talked to more people? I'd love to share what I'm learning."

Early (hypothesis forming):

"You clearly know this space. Who else on your team — or in your network — should I talk to? I'd love an intro if you're willing."

Mid-stage (ready to show something):

"I'm putting together an early prototype. Would you be willing to test it with your team for two weeks and give me honest feedback?"

Late-stage (ready to sell):

"Based on everything you've told me, I think we can help. Would you be open to a pilot starting [date]? Here's what it would look like..."

The Golden Closing Question​

"Is there anything else I should have asked?"

This is your insurance policy. People will point you toward the thing you missed. Use it every single time.

The Intro Ask​

"Who else do you know who deals with this? Would you be comfortable making an intro?"

If they say yes enthusiastically → your conversation was valuable and you're solving a real problem. If they hedge → you either ran a bad meeting or this isn't their problem.

The Fun Factor: Making Interviews Enjoyable​

Validation interviews don't have to feel like interrogations. The best conversations are the ones where BOTH people enjoy themselves.

Techniques for Making It Fun​

1. Be genuinely curious. Don't fake interest. If you're bored, you're asking the wrong questions. Lean into what surprises you. "Wait, you do WHAT? Tell me everything."

2. Match their energy. If they're animated and passionate, meet them there. If they're measured and thoughtful, slow down. Mirror without mimicking.

3. Use humor when appropriate. Especially when things get awkward:

  • "Okay, this might be a weird question, but bear with me..."
  • "I know I keep asking 'why' like a five-year-old, but it's really helpful."
  • "Feel free to tell me this is a terrible idea — I can take it."

4. Celebrate their honesty. When they give you hard truths:

  • "That's exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you for being real."
  • "Ouch. But that's incredibly valuable. Tell me more."

5. Share (appropriate) vulnerability. Not your idea — your uncertainty:

  • "Honestly, I have no idea if this is going to work. That's why talking to people like you is so important."

6. End on a high. Regardless of what you learned:

  • "This was one of the most helpful conversations I've had. Seriously — thank you."

The Conversation Energy Arc​

😊 WARM START   → Light, friendly, low-pressure
                  "Tell me about your world"

🤔 CURIOUS DIG  → Engaged, leaning forward, fascinated
                  "Walk me through that — every step"

😬 BRAVE TEST   → Respectfully pushing, asking hard questions
                  "Have you actually tried to solve this?"

🤝 WARM CLOSE   → Grateful, specific, forward-looking
                  "Who else should I talk to?"

Post-Conversation Protocol (2 Minutes)​

Immediately after the conversation ends — before you check email, take another call, or walk away — spend 2 minutes capturing:

The Quick Capture Template​

DATE: _______________
PERSON: _____________ | ROLE: _____________ | SEGMENT: _____________

TOP 3 QUOTES (exact words):
1. "________________________________________________________"
2. "________________________________________________________"  
3. "________________________________________________________"

BEHAVIORAL FACTS (things they actually DID, not said they'd do):
- ________________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________________

COMMITMENT RECEIVED:
□ None  □ Time  □ Reputation  □ Effort  □ Money  □ Contract
Details: ___________________________________________________

BELIEF UPDATE:
Before this conversation, I believed: _________________________
Now I believe: _____________________________________________

NEXT ACTION:
□ Follow up with them on: __________________________________
□ Talk to: _________________ (intro? □ Yes □ No)
□ Update Big 3 Questions: __________________________________

SIGNAL TAGS:
🎯 Facts:    ___  (count Tier 1 behavioral facts)
⚡ Emotions:  ___  (count strong emotional signals)
💰 Budget:    ___  (any pricing/spending data?)
🚫 Noise:     ___  (count fluff/compliments discarded)
🧟 Zombie:    □ Yes □ No  (stalled without commitment?)

Team Review Protocol​

After every batch (5-10 conversations), run a 90-minute team review:

Review Agenda​

Part 1: Pattern Detection (30 min)

  • Read all Quick Capture notes aloud
  • Identify recurring themes (≥3 mentions = pattern)
  • Flag contradictions (different people, different stories)
  • Mark the highest-confidence behavioral facts

Part 2: Belief Update (30 min)

  • For each Big 3 Question: What do we now believe? What changed?
  • For each assumption: Still alive? Dead? Evolved?
  • New assumptions that emerged from conversations

Part 3: Action Decision (30 min)

  • Update Big 3 Questions for next batch
  • Narrow or shift segment if needed
  • Go / Pivot / Kill decision (if enough data)
  • Assign next conversation targets

The One Rule: No features enter the roadmap without Tier 1 behavioral evidence from at least 3 independent conversations.

CODITECT Interactive Interview Playbook v1.0 Designed to make customer discovery predictable, rigorous, and enjoyable.