Leave with an interview guide and a structured evidence record.
Start with a real buying situation
For the worked example, the audience is a marketing lead refreshing product and team imagery. Their problem is that the team lacks a shot list tied to actual website and campaign placements. The desired practical outcome is a usable set of images with agreed formats and usage permissions.
The example is deliberately bounded: products, people and locations must be available at the agreed times. That condition should influence the promise, scope and next step rather than disappear from the marketing copy.
| Illustrative offer | a planned commercial photography shoot |
|---|---|
| Buyer question | Where will each image appear, and which crop or format does that require? |
| Possible evidence | a shot list mapped to placements, references and delivery formats |
| Useful asset | a photography brief and image usage checklist |
How to complete your customer interview guide
- Choose a learning question and recruit people who have relevant experience.
- Ask about a recent event rather than a hypothetical preference.
- Follow the sequence: trigger, attempted solution, decision and result.
- Record direct quotations with permission and keep interpretation separate.
- Look for repeated evidence while retaining contradictions and exceptions.
Worked example
These entries are illustrative planning material, not research findings or customer results. Keep the structure and replace the content with verified details.
| What we need to learn | Understand how a marketing lead refreshing product and team imagery deals with this problem: the team lacks a shot list tied to actual website and campaign placements. |
|---|---|
| A recent incident to explore | Where will each image appear, and which crop or format does that require? |
| Follow-up questions | What happened next? Who was affected? What did you try? What did you compare before deciding? |
| Evidence and exact language | Record the participant’s exact account with permission. Example to investigate, not a finding: “Can we have unlimited edits included?” |
| What remains uncertain | We have not yet established the frequency, cost or prevalence of the problem. Test those assumptions in further conversations. |
Review before using it
A useful operational measure in this example is coverage of the approved shot list and delivery specifications. That does not automatically make it a marketing attribution metric. Define the source, period and owner before drawing conclusions.
- Would the questions still make sense if the interviewee never bought from us?
- Check the delivery assumptions: Specify shoot time, image count, retouching, formats and permitted usage.
- Use evidence rather than promises. Do not assume model, location or third-party usage rights.
- Discuss the draft with someone who understands the buying situation. Start with: “Where will each image appear, and which crop or format does that require?”
- If the next step is a trial, define its purpose. One possible starting point is to approve a small reference set and one test setup.
Common mistakes and a better review
Do not fill a missing fact with an impressive-sounding number. Mark it as an assumption, explain how you will check it and give that check an owner. A short, honest document is easier to use than an elaborate plan built on unknowns.
| Watch for | Asking whether someone likes your solution encourages polite approval. |
|---|---|
| A real buyer concern | Can we have unlimited edits included? |
| Useful response direction | Let us define the selection and retouching rounds, then distinguish corrections from new creative directions. |
| Evidence to collect | The buyer’s own account, a shot list mapped to placements, references and delivery formats, and records relevant to coverage of the approved shot list and delivery specifications. |
Your working sheet
Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.
Example: Understand how a marketing lead refreshing product and team imagery deals with this problem: the team lacks a shot list tied to actual website and campaign placements.
Example: Where will each image appear, and which crop or format does that require?
Example: What happened next? Who was affected? What did you try? What did you compare before deciding?
Example: Record the participant’s exact account with permission. Example to investigate, not a finding: “Can we have unlimited edits included?”
Example: We have not yet established the frequency, cost or prevalence of the problem. Test those assumptions in further conversations.
Review your work
Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions about this resource
How do I adapt this for my commercial photography business?
Replace the audience, offer and evidence with your actual information. Begin with a recent buyer conversation about why the team lacks a shot list tied to actual website and campaign placements, then check which assumptions match your business.
Is the filled example ready to publish?
No. It is a working example. Verify claims, permissions, prices, current capabilities and any customer information before using it externally. Do not assume model, location or third-party usage rights.
What should I do after completing the worksheet?
Use it to make one decision or have one focused conversation. The intended output is an interview guide and a structured evidence record. Set a review date and update it when the evidence changes.
Illustrative business worksheet. No customer results, market rates, traffic volumes or performance benchmarks are implied. About these resources.