Starting Your Customer Discovery Journey: Why You Should Pick ONE Group to Interview

When it comes to customer discovery, the first and arguably most crucial step is choosing a single group to focus on for your initial interviews. This focus is essential because customer discovery isn’t just about gathering information—it’s about gathering the right information from the right people. By narrowing down to one specific group, you set the foundation for accurate, actionable insights that will guide your decisions moving forward.

Why One Group?

Imagine you’re launching a product in EdTech. Your potential customer groups could include teachers, students, parents, administrators, or even job employers. Each group experiences different challenges and brings a unique perspective to the problem. So how do you choose? Craig Elias and Brandy Old from Calgary are experts in customer discovery who often emphasize the value of bifurcation questions, which guide founders to make these tough decisions early. Instead of trying to be all things to all people, ask yourself targeted questions: Who feels the problem most acutely? Who has the resources to invest in a solution? Who has the authority to make a purchasing decision? These questions help filter potential customer groups down to the one most likely to give you the insights you need to get started.

People, Not Buildings or Companies

As Brandy Old from Georgia Tech puts it, “A building is not a customer, a company is not a customer—a person is a customer.” This focus on individuals is a key distinction. When startups make the mistake of thinking of their customers as companies or buildings, they risk missing out on the nuanced human insights that are necessary for understanding real needs. Behind every buying decision is a person with motivations, frustrations, and specific needs. By picking a specific group, you gain the clarity to identify the exact individual within that group who holds decision-making power or experiences the pain point firsthand.

How to Choose Your Target Group

1. Define the Problem You’re Solving: Start with a clear problem statement. For example, if you’re working on an EdTech product, you might define the problem as “teachers need a way to engage students in remote learning.” This helps you focus on the group most directly impacted—in this case, teachers.
2. Use Bifurcation Questions: As Craig Elias and Brandy Old recommend, bifurcation questions are essential in narrowing down your target. Ask questions like:
   • Who is most affected by this problem?
   • Who has already shown interest in finding a solution?
   • Who has the buying power or decision-making authority? These questions help ensure you’re not just picking any group but the right group.
3. Identify the Specific Role or Persona: Once you’ve chosen your group, drill down further. If you choose “teachers,” are you targeting elementary school teachers or high school teachers? Public or private? Each segment experiences unique challenges, so knowing your specific persona makes it easier to tailor your questions and validate your problem effectively.

The Benefits of Focusing on One Group

1. Targeted Insights: When you stick with one group, you start noticing patterns and themes in their responses. You gain a deep understanding of their needs, which helps validate (or invalidate) your assumptions.
2. Improved Decision-Making: Insights from a specific group allow you to make clearer, data-backed decisions about product features, positioning, and marketing. You’re not juggling competing interests from multiple groups; instead, you’re laser-focused on solving a real, defined problem for one set of people.
3. Efficient Use of Resources: Customer discovery requires time, effort, and often money. Focusing on one group prevents you from spreading your resources too thin, ensuring that every conversation adds value to your understanding of your target market.

Common Pitfalls of Talking to Too Many Groups

Founders who attempt to interview multiple groups at once often find themselves overwhelmed by conflicting feedback and unclear direction. When everyone from parents to teachers to administrators provides input, it becomes challenging to determine whose needs to prioritize. This scattered approach can lead to a diluted product that doesn’t fully satisfy any group.

By starting with a single group, you’re taking the necessary steps to make your customer discovery journey as impactful as possible. Your insights will be sharper, your understanding will be deeper, and your path to product-market fit will be clearer.

In Conclusion

Customer discovery isn’t about casting the widest net—it’s about focusing on a specific group and truly understanding their needs. As Brandy Old reminds us, customer discovery is about people, not buildings or companies. Choosing one group to interview ensures that your insights are real, targeted, and actionable. With this approach, you’re not just gathering data; you’re gathering data that will actually help you build a product that matters.