Customer interview notes template
Keep what the customer said separate from what your team thinks it means. A reusable interview format for turning a conversation into evidence you can work with.
Free template + filled example. No account required. How to use the Skill
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- Research
- Suggested conversation
- 30–45 minutes
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- Markdown · Prismical Skill
See the finished note.
Use this format for a discovery interview about an existing workflow. It is designed for learning how someone works today, not validating your pitch. The example follows Maya, an operations lead, as she describes preparing a weekly report. All names and dialogue in this example are fictional.
Notes / worked exampleCustomer interview · Reporting workflow
Research question
Where does the weekly reporting workflow slow down, and how does Maya handle it today?
Context & current workflow
Maya prepares a weekly operations report. Last Friday she copied updates from three spreadsheets into a slide deck.
Evidence & exact quotes
“The numbers are there. I just spend Friday finding which version is right.” — Maya, describing last week’s report.
Pain & workaround
Conflicting spreadsheet versions make reconciliation difficult. Maya messages the three owners before sharing the deck. Time spent: not quantified.
Interpretation & open questions
Hypothesis: version confidence is a larger problem than chart creation. Open question: does this happen outside the Friday reporting cycle?
Follow-up
Alex will send a redacted example request by Tuesday. Maya has not committed to providing a report yet.
Read the source dialogue for this example
- Alex: Can you walk me through the last report you prepared?
- Maya: Last Friday I copied updates from three spreadsheets into our operations slide deck. I do this every week.
- Maya: The numbers are there. I just spend Friday finding which version is right.
- Alex: What do you do when the versions disagree?
- Maya: I message the three owners before I share the deck. I have not measured how long it takes.
- Alex: I will send a request for a redacted example by Tuesday.
- Maya: I need to check what I can share first.
Start with a blank page.
Keep the useful structure.
Each field earns its place. Use the prompts as reminders, then replace them with your own meeting evidence.
Research question
Write the uncertainty this conversation should reduce. Prefer a question about a past behavior over a prediction about a feature someone might buy.
Context & current workflow
Capture role, frequency, tools, and the most recent concrete instance. Separate the participant’s own account from your assumptions about their organization.
Evidence & exact quotes
Save a short verbatim quote alongside the situation it describes. Do not put a paraphrase in quotation marks or treat a single participant as a representative sample.
Pain & workaround
Record what breaks, what the participant does instead, and any cost they actually stated. If they did not quantify time or money, leave that measurement unknown.
Interpretation & open questions
Label your interpretation as a hypothesis. List the evidence that would disprove it and the follow-up question you did not answer in this interview.
Follow-up
Include only agreed next steps, with the speaker’s stated owner and date. A request is not a commitment until someone accepts it.
# Customer interview notes template Date: [add date] Participants: [add names] Purpose: [add purpose] ## Research question [Write the uncertainty this conversation should reduce. Prefer a question about a past behavior over a prediction about a feature someone might buy.] ## Context & current workflow [Capture role, frequency, tools, and the most recent concrete instance. Separate the participant’s own account from your assumptions about their organization.] ## Evidence & exact quotes [Save a short verbatim quote alongside the situation it describes. Do not put a paraphrase in quotation marks or treat a single participant as a representative sample.] ## Pain & workaround [Record what breaks, what the participant does instead, and any cost they actually stated. If they did not quantify time or money, leave that measurement unknown.] ## Interpretation & open questions [Label your interpretation as a hypothesis. List the evidence that would disprove it and the follow-up question you did not answer in this interview.] ## Follow-up [Include only agreed next steps, with the speaker’s stated owner and date. A request is not a commitment until someone accepts it.]
Make it part of the meeting.
Before · choose one uncertainty
Write down the behavior you want to understand and a neutral opening question. Leave the evidence and interpretation fields empty so the template does not preselect your conclusion.
During · follow the last real example
Ask the participant to reconstruct a recent attempt, including what happened before and after the difficult moment. Mark exact quotes while leaving space to listen.
After · separate evidence from inference
Check quotes against the transcript, label hypotheses, and record the unanswered questions. Compare this interview with others before deciding that a pattern represents the wider market.
What to watch for
- Turning a polite feature request into purchase intent.
- Inventing a time-saving estimate when the participant gave no number.
- Removing the context around a memorable quote.
Turn the template
into a Prismical Skill.
Import the file
Download the Skill JSON above. In Prismical, open Settings → Skills → Import and select the file. This downloads a file; it does not install anything automatically.
Run it on a note
Open the note with your meeting transcript. Run the imported Skill from the note dock. It asks for this template’s sections and appends the result for review.
Check before sharing
Verify quotes, owners, dates, and missing context against the transcript. AI can make mistakes. Keep the original note and follow your team’s sharing policy.
A few useful answers.
Practical details before you use this resource.
How is this different from a meeting summary?
An interview record preserves the research question, the participant’s context, and the evidence behind each interpretation. A general summary may compress away the details you need to compare interviews or revisit an assumption.
Can I use the template without Prismical?
Yes. Copy the blank template into any text editor, or download it as Markdown. The filled example and source dialogue are free to read without an account.
Should I include every quote?
Keep the quotes that substantiate a finding or contradict your hypothesis, with enough context to interpret them. Retain the original interview record according to your research consent and access policies.
Keep the work moving.
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Explore resourceBring your next conversation
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Capture the conversation, keep the transcript beside your notes, and reuse a Skill for the output you need. Review the result before you share it.