CIN: Interviews
Document Type
Code: CIN
Name: Interviews
Domain: Customer & Value
Abstract
This specification defines the Interviews document type within the BSpec 1.0 Universal Business Specification Standard. It establishes normative requirements, structured templates, and implementation guidance for organizations documenting interviews within the customer-value domain. This specification enables systematic, machine-readable documentation that supports strategic planning, operational execution, and organizational alignment.
Purpose and Scope
The Interviews document captures structured customer research conversations that provide deep insights into needs, behaviors, motivations, and experiences. It documents qualitative research findings that inform product and strategy decisions.
Document Metadata Schema
yaml
---
id: INT-{interview-study-identifier}
title: "Customer Interviews: [Study Focus]"
type: INT
status: Draft|Review|Accepted|Deprecated
version: 1.0.0
owner: User-Research|Product-Strategy
stakeholders: [product-team, design-team, marketing-team]
domain: customer
priority: High|Medium
scope: research-study
horizon: current
visibility: internal
depends_on: [PER-*, JTB-*]
enables: [EMP-*, REQ-*, USE-*]
research_focus: [Primary research question or topic]
interview_type: Structured|Semi-structured|Unstructured
study_methodology: [Research approach and framework]
sample_size: X # Number of interviews conducted
success_criteria:
- "Interviews provide actionable customer insights"
- "Research questions are answered comprehensively"
- "Findings inform product and strategy decisions"
- "Interview quality meets research standards"
assumptions:
- "Customers will share honest insights"
- "Sample represents broader customer base"
- "Insights will drive meaningful changes"
research_objectives:
- "Primary research questions"
- "Secondary learning goals"
- "Decision support needs"
participant_criteria: [Requirements for interview participants]
interview_duration: X minutes average
completion_date: YYYY-MM-DD
review_cycle: as-needed
---Content Structure Template
markdown
# Customer Interviews: [Study Focus]
## Overview
*Summary of interview study purpose, methodology, and key findings*
## Research Design
### Research Objectives
**Primary Research Questions**
- [Question 1]: [What we want to learn]
- [Question 2]: [What we want to learn]
- [Question 3]: [What we want to learn]
**Secondary Learning Goals**
- Additional insights we hope to gain
- Hypotheses we want to validate
- Assumptions we want to test
- Opportunities we want to explore
**Decision Support Needs**
- Specific decisions these interviews will inform
- Stakeholders who will use insights
- Timeline for decision making
- Success criteria for research impact
### Interview Methodology
**Interview Structure**
- Type: Structured|Semi-structured|Unstructured
- Duration: X minutes per interview
- Format: In-person|Video call|Phone|Mixed
- Language and localization considerations
**Interview Guide Design**
- Opening and rapport building approach
- Core question sequences
- Probing and follow-up strategies
- Closing and next steps
**Research Techniques**
- Interview questioning techniques used
- Observational methods employed
- Documentation approaches
- Validation techniques applied
### Participant Selection
**Sampling Strategy**
- Sampling approach and rationale
- Target participant characteristics
- Recruitment methods used
- Screening criteria applied
**Sample Composition**
- Total participants: X interviews
- Demographic distribution
- Customer segment representation
- Experience level distribution
- Geographic/market coverage
**Recruitment Process**
- Participant identification methods
- Outreach and invitation approach
- Incentive and compensation structure
- Scheduling and logistics management
## Interview Findings
### Participant Overview
**Participant Demographics**
- Role and responsibility distribution
- Company size and industry (if B2B)
- Experience level with solution
- Geographic and cultural representation
- Usage patterns and engagement levels
**Participant Quality**
- Engagement level during interviews
- Depth of responses provided
- Willingness to share insights
- Follow-up availability and interest
### Key Themes and Insights
#### Theme 1: [Major Theme]
**Theme Description**: [What this theme encompasses]
**Supporting Evidence**
- Participant quotes supporting theme
- Frequency of theme mention
- Intensity of participant responses
- Cross-participant consistency
**Customer Context**
- When this theme emerges
- Situational factors involved
- Environmental influences
- Trigger conditions
**Implications**
- What this means for customers
- Impact on customer experience
- Business implications
- Action opportunities
**Representative Quotes**
> "[Direct customer quote illustrating theme]" - Participant X
> "[Another supporting quote]" - Participant Y
#### Theme 2: [Major Theme]
*[Same structure as Theme 1]*
#### Theme 3: [Major Theme]
*[Same structure as Theme 1]*
### Detailed Findings by Research Question
#### Research Question 1: [Primary Question]
**Question Context**: [Why this question matters]
**Key Findings**
- Primary insight 1
- Primary insight 2
- Primary insight 3
**Supporting Evidence**
- Participant response patterns
- Consistent themes across interviews
- Unexpected findings
- Contradictory responses
**Customer Perspectives**
- How customers understand this topic
- Variation in customer viewpoints
- Consensus areas
- Areas of disagreement
**Implications for Business**
- Strategic implications
- Product implications
- Experience implications
- Process implications
#### Research Question 2: [Primary Question]
*[Same structure as Research Question 1]*
### Pain Points and Challenges
#### Critical Pain Points
**Pain Point 1: [Description]**
- How customers experience this pain
- Frequency and intensity of pain
- Customer coping mechanisms
- Impact on customer outcomes
**Pain Point 2: [Description]**
- How customers experience this pain
- Frequency and intensity of pain
- Customer coping mechanisms
- Impact on customer outcomes
#### Workflow Challenges
**Challenge Area 1: [Process/Workflow]**
- Specific workflow problems identified
- Customer workarounds developed
- Efficiency impact assessment
- Frustration levels expressed
**Challenge Area 2: [Process/Workflow]**
- Specific workflow problems identified
- Customer workarounds developed
- Efficiency impact assessment
- Frustration levels expressed
### Opportunities and Needs
#### Unmet Needs
**Need Category 1: [Type of Need]**
- Specific needs identified
- Customer description of need
- Priority level assigned by customers
- Current gap analysis
**Need Category 2: [Type of Need]**
- Specific needs identified
- Customer description of need
- Priority level assigned by customers
- Current gap analysis
#### Improvement Opportunities
**Opportunity 1: [Enhancement Area]**
- Customer suggestions for improvement
- Potential value of enhancement
- Implementation complexity assessment
- Customer willingness to adopt
**Opportunity 2: [Enhancement Area]**
- Customer suggestions for improvement
- Potential value of enhancement
- Implementation complexity assessment
- Customer willingness to adopt
### Success Stories and Positive Feedback
#### Value Realization Examples
**Success Story 1: [Achievement]**
- Customer description of success
- Value delivered and outcomes achieved
- Factors contributing to success
- Replication potential assessment
**Success Story 2: [Achievement]**
- Customer description of success
- Value delivered and outcomes achieved
- Factors contributing to success
- Replication potential assessment
#### Satisfaction Drivers
**Driver 1: [What Creates Satisfaction]**
- Customer explanation of value
- Emotional response and satisfaction
- Frequency of positive experience
- Competitive advantage potential
**Driver 2: [What Creates Satisfaction]**
- Customer explanation of value
- Emotional response and satisfaction
- Frequency of positive experience
- Competitive advantage potential
## Segment-Specific Insights
### Segment Analysis
**Segment 1: [Customer Segment]**
- Unique perspectives and needs
- Distinct pain points and challenges
- Specific improvement requests
- Value perception differences
**Segment 2: [Customer Segment]**
- Unique perspectives and needs
- Distinct pain points and challenges
- Specific improvement requests
- Value perception differences
### Persona Validation
**Persona 1: [Persona Name]**
- Interview validation of persona accuracy
- New insights about persona
- Adjustments needed to persona
- Behavioral confirmation or contradiction
**Persona 2: [Persona Name]**
- Interview validation of persona accuracy
- New insights about persona
- Adjustments needed to persona
- Behavioral confirmation or contradiction
## Competitive Intelligence
### Competitive Mentions
**Competitor Discussion**
- Competitors mentioned by customers
- Customer comparison criteria
- Perceived advantages and disadvantages
- Switching considerations and barriers
**Market Position Insights**
- How customers position us in market
- Competitive differentiation recognition
- Unique value proposition validation
- Market gap identification
### Alternative Solutions
**Alternative Approaches**
- Other solutions customers use/consider
- Customer evaluation criteria
- Switching costs and barriers
- Feature and capability comparisons
## Journey and Experience Insights
### Customer Journey Insights
**Journey Stage Findings**
- Stage-specific pain points
- Transition challenges between stages
- Success factors for progression
- Support needs at each stage
**Touchpoint Experience**
- Customer feedback on touchpoints
- Quality of interactions
- Improvement opportunities
- Channel preferences
### Emotional Journey
**Emotional Progression**
- Emotional states throughout journey
- Emotional triggers and responses
- Satisfaction and frustration points
- Relationship development patterns
## Decision-Making Insights
### Purchase Decision Factors
**Decision Criteria**
- Primary factors in vendor selection
- Evaluation process and timeline
- Stakeholder involvement patterns
- Risk considerations and mitigation
**Decision-Making Process**
- How customers evaluate options
- Information sources consulted
- Evaluation timeline and stages
- Final decision factors
### Implementation Decision Factors
**Adoption Decisions**
- Factors driving feature adoption
- Implementation approach preferences
- Change management considerations
- Success measurement approaches
## Research Quality Assessment
### Interview Quality
**Response Quality**
- Depth and richness of responses
- Participant engagement levels
- Honesty and openness assessment
- Information reliability evaluation
**Methodological Rigor**
- Interview guide effectiveness
- Interviewer consistency
- Bias identification and mitigation
- Data collection completeness
### Sample Representativeness
**Coverage Assessment**
- Demographic representation quality
- Segment coverage completeness
- Geographic distribution adequacy
- Experience level representation
**Bias Identification**
- Selection bias assessment
- Response bias identification
- Interviewer bias evaluation
- Analysis bias recognition
## Actionable Recommendations
### Immediate Actions (0-30 days)
**Priority 1: [Action Item]**
- Recommendation description
- Customer insight supporting action
- Expected impact and benefit
- Resource requirements
- Success measurement
**Priority 2: [Action Item]**
- Recommendation description
- Customer insight supporting action
- Expected impact and benefit
- Resource requirements
- Success measurement
### Short-term Actions (1-3 months)
**Initiative 1: [Development/Improvement]**
- Detailed recommendation
- Customer research foundation
- Business case and value
- Implementation approach
- Timeline and milestones
**Initiative 2: [Development/Improvement]**
- Detailed recommendation
- Customer research foundation
- Business case and value
- Implementation approach
- Timeline and milestones
### Long-term Strategic Actions (3-12 months)
**Strategic Initiative 1: [Major Change]**
- Strategic recommendation
- Customer insight foundation
- Competitive advantage potential
- Investment requirements
- Success metrics
### Research Follow-up
**Additional Research Needs**
- Questions requiring deeper investigation
- Customer segments needing more research
- Validation studies needed
- Longitudinal research opportunities
**Continuous Learning**
- Regular interview cadence establishment
- Ongoing customer relationship building
- Research methodology refinement
- Insight validation approaches
## Implementation Tracking
### Insight Integration
**Product Development Integration**
- How insights inform product roadmap
- Feature prioritization impact
- Design decision influence
- Technical requirement identification
**Experience Design Integration**
- Customer experience improvements
- Journey optimization opportunities
- Touchpoint enhancement needs
- Service design implications
**Marketing Integration**
- Messaging and positioning insights
- Content development guidance
- Campaign strategy impact
- Customer communication improvement
### Impact Measurement
**Customer Impact Tracking**
- Pre/post interview satisfaction measurement
- Behavioral change tracking
- Outcome improvement measurement
- Relationship quality assessment
**Business Impact Tracking**
- Product adoption improvements
- Customer retention impact
- Revenue and expansion correlation
- Competitive positioning enhancement
## Validation
*Evidence that interviews provided valuable insights and drove meaningful improvements*Quality Standards
Bronze Level (Minimum Viable)
- [ ] Research objectives clearly defined with primary questions and learning goals
- [ ] Interview methodology documented with structure and participant selection
- [ ] Basic interview findings with key themes and insights
- [ ] All required metadata fields completed
Silver Level (Investment Ready)
- [ ] Comprehensive research design with detailed methodology and quality assessment
- [ ] Rich interview findings with detailed themes, quotes, and evidence
- [ ] Segment-specific insights and persona validation
- [ ] Competitive intelligence and journey insights
- [ ] Actionable recommendations with immediate and strategic actions
- [ ] Implementation tracking with integration and impact measurement
Gold Level (Operational Excellence)
- [ ] Dynamic interview program with continuous customer engagement
- [ ] Advanced analysis techniques with predictive insights
- [ ] Real-time insight integration into product development
- [ ] Longitudinal interview tracking and trend analysis
- [ ] Automated insight synthesis and distribution
- [ ] Cross-functional interview coordination and decision integration
Common Pitfalls
- Leading questions: Asking questions that guide participants to expected answers
- Small sample size: Insufficient interviews to reach saturation and reliable insights
- Confirmation bias: Interpreting responses to confirm existing assumptions
- Implementation gap: Collecting insights without translating them into actions
Success Patterns
- Rich insights: Deep, nuanced understanding that reveals unexpected customer truths
- Action-oriented: Clear connection between insights and specific improvements
- Representative sample: Diverse participants providing comprehensive perspective
- Methodological rigor: Consistent, unbiased approach yielding reliable insights
Relationship Guidelines
Typical Dependencies
- PER (Personas): Personas guide interview participant selection and targeting
- JTB (Jobs-to-be-Done): Jobs provide context for interview questions and analysis
Typical Enablements
- EMP (Empathy Maps): Interview insights inform empathy map development
- REQ (Requirements): Customer insights drive functional and experience requirements
- USE (Use Cases): Interview findings inform use case scenarios and contexts
Document Relationships
This document type commonly relates to:
- Depends on: PER (Personas), JTB (Jobs-to-be-Done)
- Enables: EMP (Empathy Maps), REQ (Requirements), USE (Use Cases)
- Informs: Product development, customer experience strategy, market positioning
- Guides: Feature prioritization, design decisions, customer communication
Validation Checklist
- [ ] Research objectives with primary questions and decision support needs
- [ ] Interview methodology including structure, participant selection, and quality assessment
- [ ] Comprehensive interview findings with themes, evidence, and representative quotes
- [ ] Detailed findings by research question with implications and customer perspectives
- [ ] Pain points and challenges with specific descriptions and customer impact
- [ ] Opportunities and needs with customer descriptions and priority assessment
- [ ] Success stories and satisfaction drivers with value realization examples
- [ ] Segment-specific insights and persona validation
- [ ] Competitive intelligence with market position and alternative solution analysis
- [ ] Journey and experience insights covering touchpoints and emotional progression
- [ ] Decision-making insights for both purchase and implementation factors
- [ ] Research quality assessment with bias identification and sample representativeness
- [ ] Actionable recommendations with immediate, short-term, and strategic actions
- [ ] Implementation tracking with insight integration and impact measurement