Over the last few years I've learned a ton about how to ask good questions to users. I've found it to be one of the most difficult arts to master.

Henry Ford is, without question, a legendary entrepreneur, but even he didn't ask good questions.

Here are 3 tips I've learned:

If you're interested in this topic, the best read (and quick!) I've seen on it is a book called The Mom Test by @robfitz. https://www.amazon.com/Mom-Test-customers-business-everyone/dp/1492180742

Henry Ford said, "If I would have asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse."

But really that depends on what he asked and how he interpreted the answers.

Tip #1: Stay in the problem space. Never ask a potential user about your solution. Ever.

No one wants to make you feel bad and will always give you nice answers.

Instead of "is this idea really cool," ask "is X a big problem for you?"

One simple tool that helps me stay in the problem space, not the solution space:

Never ask questions that begin with "If you could..." Only ask questions that begin with "Do you..."

Tip #2: Another really important thing I've learned is that not all problems are created equal. You have to dig deeper into the severity of the problem.

So even better than "is X a big problem for you" is asking "what are your top 3 problems/challenges?"

People are really busy. If it's not in the top 3, it's probably not a big deal.

Tip #3: Interpreting answers is as important as asking the right questions.

If Henry Ford heard "I want a faster horse," he should have interpreted that differently.

When you hear an answer, the goal is never to take it at face value. The goal is to understand the intent of what is being said.

Follow up and try to get at the heart of the issue.

In the case of Henry Ford, the follow-ups should have been, "are you late to events? are you cold being out in the open? do the horses not have enough stamina for long trips, or not enough speed for quick trips?"

/end