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.
What questions go in a JTBD switch interview?
Six phases of ten minutes each, reconstructing the moment someone fired their old solution and hired yours. Sixty minutes in total: less than that means you rushed past the triggers and the anxieties.
- Six phases, ten minutes each, sixty minutes total. Under 60 rushes the triggers and anxieties; over 75 usually means the conversation drifted
- A switch interview reconstructs one specific moment. A customer interview covers problem severity, current solutions and willingness to pay more broadly
- There is always a previous solution, even when nothing was bought: doing nothing and tolerating the problem by hand both count as the thing that got fired
- For greenfield adoption ask what they did before your product existed, and what changed that made them decide now
- Record it, with consent. The method depends on a sequence of moments, and most of that detail is gone without a recording
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.
Intent: Identify the trigger event
- 01Take me back to the moment you first realized your old way of doing this wasn't working. What happened that day?
- 02What were you doing right before you started looking for a different solution?
- 03When did this stop being something you could ignore and become something you had to fix?
- 04What was the specific incident that made you think "OK, I need to change this"?
Intent: Map the consideration set
- 01What did you do next? What did you search for, who did you ask, what did you read?
- 02What other solutions did you consider? Why did you reject each?
- 03How did you first hear about [your product]?
- 04How long was the period between "I need to change this" and "I'll try this product"?
Intent: Surface the pull (what closed the deal)
- 01Walk me through the moment you decided to try [your product]. What were you thinking?
- 02What specifically about it made you say "OK, I'll try this"?
- 03Was there a phrase, demo moment, or testimonial that landed?
- 04Who else was involved in the decision? Did you have to convince anyone?
Intent: Reveal what almost killed the switch
- 01What worried you about switching? What might have stopped you?
- 02Was there a moment you almost didn't go through with it? What would have tipped you back?
- 03What had to be true for you to feel safe trying [your product]?
- 04Looking back, were any of those worries justified, or did they turn out to be unfounded?
Intent: Surface onboarding friction + the "aha" moment
- 01Walk me through the first time you actually used it. What did you expect?
- 02What surprised you — good or bad — when you started using it?
- 03When did you realize "yes, this is actually working"?
- 04If you could change one thing about your first 24 hours with the product, what would it be?
Intent: Confirm whether the job got done
- 01How is your life or work different now compared to before? What's the new normal?
- 02What can you do now that you couldn't do before?
- 03What's the cost if you suddenly couldn't use this product anymore?
- 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 15-min drill where AI strategist runs you through switch-interview format and shows where you slipped.
Practice for free →15 min · No credit card