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Spoke · 24 questions · 7 min read

JTBD interview questions — switch format

24 questions organized by the 6 phases of a switch interview — the JTBD-specific format that reconstructs the moment customers fired their old solution and hired yours.

The pattern across all 6 phases: walk customers backwards through their decision timeline. Past behavior reconstructs the forces (push, pull, anxiety, habit) better than asking about preferences directly.

Phase 1. First thought

Intent: Identify the trigger event

  1. 01Take me back to the moment you first realized your old way of doing this wasn't working. What happened that day?
  2. 02What were you doing right before you started looking for a different solution?
  3. 03When did this stop being something you could ignore and become something you had to fix?
  4. 04What was the specific incident that made you think "OK, I need to change this"?
Phase 2. Active looking

Intent: Map the consideration set

  1. 01What did you do next? What did you search for, who did you ask, what did you read?
  2. 02What other solutions did you consider? Why did you reject each?
  3. 03How did you first hear about [your product]?
  4. 04How long was the period between "I need to change this" and "I'll try this product"?
Phase 3. Decision moment

Intent: Surface the pull (what closed the deal)

  1. 01Walk me through the moment you decided to try [your product]. What were you thinking?
  2. 02What specifically about it made you say "OK, I'll try this"?
  3. 03Was there a phrase, demo moment, or testimonial that landed?
  4. 04Who else was involved in the decision? Did you have to convince anyone?
Phase 4. Anxieties

Intent: Reveal what almost killed the switch

  1. 01What worried you about switching? What might have stopped you?
  2. 02Was there a moment you almost didn't go through with it? What would have tipped you back?
  3. 03What had to be true for you to feel safe trying [your product]?
  4. 04Looking back, were any of those worries justified, or did they turn out to be unfounded?
Phase 5. First use

Intent: Surface onboarding friction + the "aha" moment

  1. 01Walk me through the first time you actually used it. What did you expect?
  2. 02What surprised you — good or bad — when you started using it?
  3. 03When did you realize "yes, this is actually working"?
  4. 04If you could change one thing about your first 24 hours with the product, what would it be?
Phase 6. New normal

Intent: Confirm whether the job got done

  1. 01How is your life or work different now compared to before? What's the new normal?
  2. 02What can you do now that you couldn't do before?
  3. 03What's the cost if you suddenly couldn't use this product anymore?
  4. 04How would you describe what this product does to a colleague who's never heard of it?

Drill these questions before real interviews

The questions look easy on paper. Real-time, you\'ll catch yourself rushing past triggers or skipping anxieties. We built GoNoGo as a 30-min drill where AI strategist runs you through switch-interview format and shows where you slipped.

Practice for free →

30 min · No credit card

Frequently asked questions

How is a switch interview different from a customer interview?+
Switch interviews specifically reconstruct the moment a customer fired their old solution and hired yours. Customer interviews are broader — they cover problem severity, current solutions, willingness to pay across whoever you talk to. Use switch interviews when you have customers who recently switched. Use customer interviews for problem-stage research before you have customers.
What if my customer didn't "switch" from anything?+
Even greenfield adoptions have something they replaced — even if it was "doing nothing" or "tolerating the problem manually." Ask: "What did you do before our product existed? What changed that made you decide it was time to find a tool?" The trigger event matters even when there's no prior tool.
How long should a switch interview take?+
60 minutes is standard. The 6 phases are 10 minutes each. Less than 60 means you rushed past triggers or anxieties. More than 75 means you let the conversation drift — which is sometimes OK, but usually means you didn't prepare structured questions.

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