Purpose
When opportunities are still hidden behind signals of need, it structures conversations around needs and obstacles. It looks for patterns that lead to new product opportunities.
Product Discovery Research method
Opportunity Interview
Shows which needs emerge from a specific lived situation.
An Opportunity Interview collects specific past experiences to discover unmet needs, obstacles and desires in context. The story provides leads for further discovery.
Which needs emerge from a specific lived situation?
- Participants
- 5-12 Interviews participants
- Time
- 20–30 minutes conversation, 15 minutes synthesis; repeat according to learning needs.
Opening
Opening
Clarify purpose, voluntary participation and recording; select a recent relevant event.
Story
Story
Let the person recount trigger, steps, decisions and outcome chronologically.
Probing
Probing
At specific turning points, ask about goal, obstacle, response and significance.
Snapshot
Snapshot
Summarise facts, quotes, interpretations and open questions separately.
Create an interview snapshot after each conversation and investigate unresolved contrasts.
A good fit when
For continuous discovery when a team needs a better understanding of its users’ everyday context.
Ideal for
- Continuous Discovery
- Problem Framing
- Opportunity Mapping
Not good for
- Usability feedback on specific designs
- Sales pitches
Outputs
Interview snapshot
Interview snapshot with event sequence, evidenced needs and open questions.
Opportunity and research plan
The research plan links opportunities in customers’ own words to concrete experiences and identifies further cases to address knowledge gaps.
Opportunity Interview· worksheet
Fictional example
An Opportunity Interview collects specific past experiences to discover unmet needs, obstacles and desires in context. The story provides leads for further discovery.
Context and story anchor
Which participant, relevant event and consent? Avoid unnecessary identifying data.
Fictional participant P03 searched for an evening course on Tuesday. Voluntary conversation; notes only agreed. Opening: invite the story of that last search.
Event sequence
Record trigger, actual steps, decisions and outcome.
After a shift-pattern change, P03 opened three course pages, copied times onto paper and called about an unclear end date. No enrolment followed yet.
Opportunities with evidence
Record need, scene and participant statement separately from interpretation.
Opportunity: compare every session with changing shifts. Evidence: times were copied and supplemented by phone. Team interpretation: individual pages hinder comparison; still untested.
Contrasts and follow-up
Which open questions, contrasting cases and further interviews would help?
Next contrast: someone with regular working hours. It remains unclear whether missing dates or shift changes were decisive. No frequency claim from P03.
All example details are fictional and illustrate the application.
First step
Recruit someone with a recent relevant experience.
Deep dive
How it works
It steers the conversation away from solution proposals toward situations, pain points, and desired progress. Good follow-up questions look for concrete triggers, obstacles, and workarounds, so opportunity framing does not emerge from mere feature wishes.
In detail
Opportunity Interviews work because they open conversational space for unexpected opportunities without immediately confirming a ready-made solution. Good execution sticks to concrete experiences, recurring obstacles, and needs left unanswered so far, rather than spontaneous feature ideas. This makes it possible to recognize opportunities that already generate energy, frustration, or workarounds in the target group's everyday life and therefore carry relevant potential.
Facilitation
Lead in with a real workflow or a recent concrete situation, so interview partners do not drift into general wishes. The approach becomes truly useful once a friction point comes up repeatedly and also triggers significant consequences. Close with cleanly separated observations, initial opportunity clusters, and questions for the next round of interviews.
The method guide walks execution through 4 phases, timing, 4 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open method guideYour perspective
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Sources and topics
Artifact templates
Opportunity Interview: WorksheetRecruit someone with a recent relevant experience.markdown
Opportunity Interview: WorksheetRecruit someone with a recent relevant experience.
markdownopportunity-interview-working-template.md
Recruit someone with a recent relevant experience.
Opportunity Interview: Worksheet
Question
To be confirmed
Desired outcome
To be confirmed
Scope
Complete cycle Time: 20–30 minutes conversation, 15 minutes synthesis; repeat according to learning needs.
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
Preparation for this scope
Method setup
- Materials: Open guide, notes, optional agreed recording.
- Roles: Participant, interviewer, quiet note-taker.
- Advance information: Recruit someone with a recent relevant experience.
- Overall time needed: 20–30 minutes conversation, 15 minutes synthesis; repeat according to learning needs.
- Setup: Choose a quiet setting; prepare an open story invitation and an event timeline for notes. Keep note-taking separate from interviewing.
Prepare for the work steps
Opening: Opening
- Recruiting and learning frame
Story: Story
- Selected experience
Probing: Probing
- Turning points in the story
Snapshot: Snapshot
- Notes and permissions
Opportunity Interview· worksheet
Context and story anchor
Which participant, relevant event and consent? Avoid unnecessary identifying data.
...
Event sequence
Record trigger, actual steps, decisions and outcome.
...
Opportunities with evidence
Record need, scene and participant statement separately from interpretation.
...
Contrasts and follow-up
Which open questions, contrasting cases and further interviews would help?
...
Answer the prompts with your own information. Explicitly mark unknowns and assumptions.
Teresa Torres: Story-Based Customer Interviews
Opening: Opening
Expected artifact: Story anchor
Has a specific event been selected?
Entry:
...
- Has a specific event been selected?
Story: Story
Expected artifact: Event sequence
Can actions and context be reconstructed?
Entry:
...
- Can actions and context be reconstructed?
Probing: Probing
Expected artifact: Need evidence
Is each need tied to a scene?
Entry:
...
- Is each need tied to a scene?
Snapshot: Snapshot
Expected artifact: Interview snapshot
Is each opportunity traceable?
Entry:
...
- Is each opportunity traceable?
Open questions and next steps
...
Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/opportunity-interview/run-sheet
Alternatives and neighbors
Fitting alternatives with decision guidance, followed by other related methods.
Product Discovery
Problem Interview
Instead of Opportunity Interview, choose Problem Interview when you want to sharpen a problem together with those affected before addressing solutions.
Product Discovery
Dual-Track Agile
Separates discovery and delivery so that validated stories only move into implementation after learning loops.
Product Discovery
Opportunity Scoring
Moves customer problem, solution idea, and evidence toward a concrete result through "collect outcomes from discovery", "define an importance scale", and "calculate and sort the score".
Product Discovery
Outcome-Driven Innovation
Quantifies customer desired outcomes for a job and identifies underserved needs as innovation opportunities.
Product Discovery
Product Kata
Uses a recurring learning loop to connect direction, current condition, target condition, and the next smallest experiment.
Product Discovery
Assumption Mapping
Sorts assumptions by uncertainty and leverage so the riskiest hypotheses get tested first.
Constraints and origin
MediumWorkshop + async30-60 min je Interview
Profile
- Method form
- Research method
- Participants
- 5-12 Interviews
- Time
- 30-60 min je Interview
- Maturity
- Established
- Origin
- Praxisgemeinschaft
Next up: Opportunity Solution Tree