The Three Rules
The Mom Test is a set of rules for asking questions that even your mom can't lie to you about. Rule one: talk about their life instead of your idea. Rule two: ask about specifics in the past instead of generics or opinions about the future. Rule three: talk less and listen more.
The name comes from the observation that asking 'Mom, would you buy my app?' is worthless. She loves you, so she says yes. But asking her how she currently plans her week, what she last paid for, and what annoyed her about it gets you truth, because there's nothing in those questions to lie about.
The point isn't a script. It's a shift in who the conversation is about. If you're pitching, you're learning nothing. If they're describing their actual life, everything they say is data.
“Talk about their life instead of your idea.”
Key idea
Good customer conversations are about their life and their past, not your idea and their predictions. If they can't tell what you're building, they can't lie to please you.