Don’t Build Blind

Every time I build a new product, I start by shutting up and listening.

That usually means interviews — lots of them. Sometimes on Zoom. Sometimes in a dusty back office or a construction trailer with no A/C. Where I do them depends entirely on where my customers actually live — physically and operationally.

Some of the products I’m building are used by contractors, dispatchers, and field ops teams. Others are for brokers, sales managers, or lean ops teams working fully online. What I’ve learned: you can’t approach customer interviews with a one-size-fits-all mindset.

In Person vs. Remote — It Depends

For anything in construction, waste, or field logistics — in-person wins. There’s no substitute for seeing the chaos, the sticky notes, the whiteboards, the broken apps on an old phone. The environment itself tells a story.

But for tools like a sales analytics dashboard or a referral tracking platform, remote works great. People are already online, willing to share screens, walk through tools, and show you the exact pain points as they click around.

I don’t think it’s about what’s easier. It’s about meeting your customer where they are — geographically and mentally.

What I Ask — and What I Watch For

I try to stay out of solution mode. These interviews aren’t pitches. They’re excavations.

A few questions I come back to:

• “Walk me through the last time you did [X]”

• “What tools are you using today? Can I see them?”

• “What’s the most annoying part of that process?”

• “Have you ever paid for a tool to fix this?”

• “What would break if you stopped doing this for a week?”

And then I shut up and watch. I pay attention to hesitation. Frustration. Routines they’ve stopped noticing.

One of the best insights I’ve ever had came from someone sighing before they answered.

Do’s and Don’ts I Stick To

DO:

• Let them lead — the best moments aren’t on your script

• Use silence as a tool

• Watch for physical or emotional cues

• Always follow up with what changed because of the conversation

DON’T:

• Pitch your product during the interview

• Ask “Would you use this?” — that’s fantasy

• Only talk to people who match your ideal persona

• Treat it like data collection — it’s relationship building

How These Interviews Have Shaped What I’m Building

A subcontractor casually mentioned he was “keeping track of dates on paper” — turns out he meant lien deadlines. That changed the entire direction of the product.

A dispatcher walked me through their workflow and skipped every feature we thought mattered. Then she opened a Google Sheet she built herself. Half the roadmap got shelved.

A broker showed me how they tracked referrals — a single line in Notes. It wasn’t about tools. It was about control and trust. That reframed the whole pitch.

I’d never get any of that from a survey.

Final Thoughts

If you’re building something and haven’t spoken to 10+ potential customers in the past two weeks, that’s your next sprint.

Whether you show up in person or send a calendar invite, the goal’s the same:
Understand their world before you try to change it.

If you're doing customer interviews right now and want a template, a note-taking system, or just someone to bounce questions off of, feel free to reach out. I’m always down to jam.

Lets Build This.

— Joseph

Want my full Interview Field Guide?
Includes go-to questions, field tips, and how I prep for both remote and on-site interviews.