The Customer Who Won't Tell You
Customers rarely hand you the truth. They tell you a solution they imagined — "make it cheaper," "add more dashboards," "I'm just too busy" — while the real job-to-be-done stays unsaid. This playground gives you six real interview moments: for each thing the customer literally said, you pick the response that serves the need hiding behind the words. Then — the Demystify move — it reveals the hidden truth right beside your choice, so you see the exact gap between what you heard and what was true. Runs entirely in your browser (0 uploads, works offline).
How to use it
- Read each quote — it's what the customer actually said, a stated solution, not their need.
- Pick the response that serves the real job hiding behind the words.
- Answer as many cards as you like, then hit Reveal the truth — nothing is scored until you submit.
- Read the two-column reveal: your pick on the left, the customer's real need on the right, card by card.
- Copy or share your read — most people fail their own first interview.
What this clears up (the fundamentals)
- A stated preference is not the real job. "I'd buy it if it were cheaper" is almost never about price — it's a value objection wearing a price costume. The words name a solution; the job is underneath.
- Leading questions manufacture the answer you want. Ask "would you use this?" and you'll hear "sure." The Mom Test says: ask about their life and past behavior, not your idea, and never fish for a yes.
- Confirmation bias makes you hear agreement. When you're attached to a solution, "add more reports" sounds like validation. Slow down and ask what single question they're actually accountable for.
- Synthesized insight beats quoted feedback. The output isn't a transcript of what they said — it's the job you inferred from it. Getting that synthesis right is the whole skill.
Where it's used
This is a miatz build-lab concept playable — the free, network-zero teaser for the Prompting for Product Sense module. Play it here to feel why the stated ask misleads you, then learn to build the graded version yourself: a persona that carries a hidden ground-truth script, live leading-question scoring, and a two-column diff of your synthesized insight against the real need.
FAQ
What is the "job-to-be-done" behind a quote?
It's the progress the customer is trying to make — the outcome they'd hire any product to deliver. "I want a faster horse" is a solution; "get there in less time with less effort" is the job. Solve the job and the specific solution stops mattering.
Why does "make it cheaper" usually not mean price?
Because if someone believes something is clearly worth the money, they buy it. "Cheaper" is most often a signal that the value isn't obvious yet — a value objection, not a price one. Cut the price and you often just lower it for people who'd have paid.
What is the Mom Test?
A rule for customer interviews: ask questions even your mom couldn't lie to you about. Talk about their life and what they already do, not your idea; never pitch; and treat compliments and hypotheticals as noise. It's the antidote to leading questions and confirmation bias.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Every card, real need, and score is baked into the page and computed on your device — nothing is transmitted, stored, or logged. Turn off your Wi-Fi and it still works.
Limits
The six cards carry precomputed, illustrative quotes and hand-authored real needs — a fast teaching deck, not your actual customers. Real interviews are messier: the job is often layered, personas contradict themselves, and the truth arrives across many conversations, not one card. What this fixes in your ear — hear the job, not the stated solution — is exactly the real practice.
Related
Part of the Demystify Playgrounds. Explore the rest from the Playgrounds home.
Bookmark this page (Ctrl+D, or ⌘D on Mac) — it works offline the next time you need it.