Problem Interviews Checklist for Non-Technical Founders

The working checklist for non-technical founders. Skip the reading, run the steps. Designed for founders with limited time and a need to actually finish the round.

One-Time Setup

• Define the user with two filters: a job-or-role and a recent behavior.
• Write three questions on a sticky note: story prompt, workaround, money or time spent so far.
• Open one shared doc for all interview notes. Date and name at the top of each entry.
• Decide the no-pitch rule: you will not describe what you are building during the call.
• Decide the no-apology rule: you will not mention being non-technical.
• Decide the no-demo rule: you will not show any no-code build during the call.

Sourcing the Calls

• Build a list of 40 candidates who fit the audience filter.
• Send each a three-sentence message: why specifically them, what you are researching, ask for 30 minutes.
• Promise no pitch, and keep it.
• Aim to land 15 calls. Reply rates of 25 to 40 percent are normal.
• Send messages in batches of 10 over a few days.

Five Minutes Before the Call

• Open the notes doc to a fresh entry. Date, name, role, audience filter match.
• Re-read the three questions.
• Ask permission to record at the start if you intend to.
• Remind yourself: no pitching, no apologizing, no demoing today.

During the Call

• Open with a low-stakes intro. State you are researching, not selling.
• Ask question one. Then listen.
• After every answer, count to three before responding.
• Use the redirect: "Tell me more about that" or "Walk me through what happened next."
• Capture exact phrases when they say something specific or vivid.
• If they ask what you are building, deflect to the end of the call.
• If they ask about your background, redirect to their world.
• End on time. Thank them. Ask if they would be open to a follow-up.

Within Ten Minutes After the Call

• Add three things to the bottom of your notes: trigger event, what they actually did, one thing that surprised you.
• Mark direct quotes with an asterisk so you can find them later.
• Note any name, tool, or workaround you should look up afterward.

After Every Five Calls

• Reread the last five sets of notes back-to-back.
• Write down repeats: same workaround, same vocabulary, same trigger.
• Write down disconfirmations: things you assumed that have not held up.
• If a question keeps surprising you with weak answers, replace it.

After Fifteen Calls

• In one sentence each: who is the user, what is the problem, what is the workaround.
• If you can answer cleanly, stop interviewing. Pick a build approach (no-code, contractor, agency) and commit.
• If you cannot, decide what is missing: tighter audience, different questions, or a coherence problem with the original idea.
• Pick the next move within a week. Do not let the round drift.

Anti-Patterns to Watch For

• You apologized for being non-technical. Reset on the next call.
• You demoed your no-code build. Reset on the next call.
• You only talked to friends. Get to strangers.
• You wrote paraphrases instead of quotes. Quotes carry the data.
• You did three calls and called it validated. Get to ten.
• You did thirty calls and still have not committed to a build. The bottleneck is no longer information.

Print and Use

Pin this list visibly during the round. Re-read it before each batch of calls and after each batch. Most non-technical-founder failures in customer discovery come from forgetting one of these steps in the moment, not from not knowing them in principle. The checklist exists for the moment.