4. Probing with your Discovery Interview Quick-Start Card

Use the bottom of side 2 for great in-depth "what & why" probing.

There’s a lot to good probing. But don’t feel that you need to remember it all. Download your Discovery Interview Quick-Start Card at www.blueprintingcenter.com > BlueTools. You can use side one to prepare yourself before the interview. Put side two face-up on the conference room table during the interview…
so you’ll be reminded of these probing tips.

Pay special attention to the bottom of side two, where you’ll be reminded of the what and why probing. You’ll see 4 types of questions…

1. What questions
2. Why questions
3. More to learn?
4. Next Note

Customer responses to the first three are all recorded on the same stick note, while the fourth (“What else”) is the Note-taker’s cue to move to the next blank sticky note. The third question is particularly powerful. Before moving to the next outcome (and sticky note), ask, “Is there anything else we should know about this before moving on?

For more on "what & why" probing, see the last BlueHelp article, What-and-why probing method.

Keywords: Discovery Interview Quick-Start Card, probing skills, what and why probing, what questions, why questions, observation questions, implication questions, can you describe this, how does this impact you, why is this a problem, anything else to know