Our approach

At expx, we believe customer interviews remain one of the most effective tools in innovation. But we also know traditional methods can be slow, messy, and inconsistent. That’s why we’ve developed a process that combines human expertise with AI-augmented tools—supercharging how we gather, analyse, and act on customer insight.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Identifying and narrowing down Ideal customer segments

We begin by defining Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs). Rather than casting a wide net, we use AI-driven analytics to uncover high-potential customer groups by analysing:

• Market input and signals

• Common pain points

• Behavioural patterns and readiness-to-pay indicators

This ensures we focus on the right people, saving time and effort from the outset.

2. Crafting a structured interview framework

Our interviews follow a tried-and-tested framework covering:

1. Warm-up & context

2. Past behaviour

3. Pain points & motivations

4. Current solutions & gaps

5. Desired outcomes

This keeps interviews focused, comparable, and rooted in real behaviour - not hypotheticals.

3. Harnessing synthetic interviews Before speaking to real people, we run synthetic interviews using generative AI to simulate Q&A sessions with virtual customers. These simulations:

• Highlight gaps in our questions

• Surface objections early

• Sharpen our hypotheses

They’re not perfect, but they significantly improve the quality of every real conversation that follows.

4. Sourcing & scheduling real interviews

We use targeted search tools to find real people who match our ICPs, whether via LinkedIn, industry forums, or niche online communities. Outreach is always respectful, clear, and purpose-driven.

5. Automated capture & analysis

We use AI-powered note-taking and transcription tools to:

• Record calls (with permission)

• Transcribe them in real-time

• Highlight recurring patterns and themes

This creates a searchable, organised interview database - one that becomes a valuable long-term asset.

6. Pattern discovery with AI

All transcripts are fed into our insights engine, which helps us:

• Spot repeating topics and emotional triggers

• Detect contradictions or red flags

• Compare synthetic vs real-world responses

Insights are presented as digestible summaries, perfect for stakeholder alignment.

7. Validating assumptions through testing

We design lightweight experiments around our riskiest assumptions:

• Landing page smoke tests

• Fake-door features

• Concierge MVPs

This lets us validate customer behaviour before we commit serious time or budget.

Why it works Faster feedback loops

Compresses weeks of work into days using synthetic interviews and automated analysis.

Sharper insight

AI surfaces patterns and language that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Confidence in decisions

Clear data helps teams and stakeholders move forward (or pull the plug) with conviction.

Reusable knowledge

Every transcript becomes reusable content: blog quotes, sales decks, or internal training.

Stronger alignment

Summarised insights and real quotes make buy-in easier across departments.

Ready to try it yourself?

If your innovation team needs faster answers, better interviews, and less guesswork - this approach is for you.

Let’s talk. We’ll show you how AI-powered customer discovery can help validate your next idea, faster and more confidently. Get in touch with expx