Most developers and freelancers start meetings by asking:
“So… what do you need built?”
Sounds logical. But here’s the problem: clients often don’t really know.
They might come in with a feature list or an idea — but what they really need is buried under context, goals, and workflow pain points.
The difference between an order-taker and a true problem-solver?
Asking the right questions.
The kind that reveal what actually matters.
Here are the types of interactive, open-ended questions you should bring to every client meeting — so you build what fits instead of what’s just asked.
🎯 1. Understand their goals (beyond the product)
Instead of “What features do you want?” ask:
- What business outcome do you want from this project?
- Why do you want this now?
- If we could only ship one thing that makes the biggest impact, what would that be?
- How will you know this project is successful?
These questions shift the conversation from features to impact.
You’ll hear things like “reduce churn,” “increase sign-ups,” or “save manual work” - which helps you suggest smarter solutions.
🧑🤝🧑 2. Dig into their target audience
Your client isn’t the only user.
Ask about the real users:
- Who will use this product or feature day to day?
- What do they care about most: speed, design, price, reliability?
- What frustrates them about the current solution?
- What devices or environments do they typically use?
Understanding the audience keeps you from over-engineering or missing crucial UX details.
🛠 3. Map their current workflows
Clients often forget to explain how things work today.
Ask:
- Walk me through how you do this process now.
- Where do you spend the most time or feel the most frustration?
- What tools do you already use that this needs to work with?
- What steps happen before and after using this product?
Seeing the workflow shows you hidden requirements (integrations, file formats, notifications) that never make it to the feature list.
🧭 4. Explore long-term plans (to future-proof your build)
Many projects break because they’re built for today only.
Ask:
- Where do you see this product in six months or a year?
- Are there features you’ve parked for “later”?
- Do you plan to grow your team, scale user numbers, or launch in other markets?
- Are there known constraints coming (regulation changes, funding, partnerships)?
This helps you design in a way that doesn’t box them in.
✅ Final thought
Most clients don’t speak in user stories or tickets.
They speak in pain points, hopes, and half-formed ideas.
Your job isn’t just to build — it’s to translate those ideas into products that actually help.
That starts with asking better questions.
✍️✍️ I write about product clarity, client communication, and helping developers become better problem-solvers.
Follow me on Twitter for more real-world insights.
Top comments (0)