Learning objective
By the end of this lesson, you can build a switching timeline and distinguish the four forces that shape a real choice.
Why it matters
If you ask, “What do you want in a new tool?”, people produce plausible features. These answers may have little connection to the moment when they spend money, change behaviour or abandon an established process.
A decision interview returns to events:
- What first made the current situation feel inadequate?
- Why did the person wait?
- What triggered active search?
- What made the new option attractive?
- What nearly stopped the change?
Core concept: four forces over time
Two forces support change:
- Push: struggle with the current situation.
- Pull: attraction of expected progress.
Two forces resist change:
- Anxiety: uncertainty or risk in the new choice.
- Habit: familiarity and switching cost in the current solution.
Do not ask for these labels directly. Infer them from the decision story.
Visual explanation
Text alternative: a decision develops from first thought through passive looking, a trigger, comparison, decision and first use. Push and pull support change, while anxiety and habit resist it.
Worked example
A consultant says, “I bought the portal because it looks professional.”
Timeline questions reveal:
- A client opened an outdated proposal.
- The consultant spent an hour reconstructing which file was current.
- A colleague demonstrated a portal.
- The consultant compared three products but delayed for six weeks.
- A new enterprise client required secure sharing.
- Migration support removed the final barrier.
Interpretation:
- Push: version error and rework.
- Pull: one trusted place and a credible client experience.
- Anxiety: migration effort and client adoption.
- Habit: familiar email workflow.
- Trigger: enterprise security requirement.
“Professionalism” remains relevant, but the timeline explains when it became actionable.
Common mistake
Mistake: accepting the first reason as the complete cause.
People compress a long decision into a neat answer. Respect the answer, then ask for the moment, sequence and trade-offs that gave it meaning.
Quick check
A buyer likes a new platform but delays because moving historical data may interrupt service. Which force is strongest?
A. Push
B. Pull
C. Anxiety
D. Habit
Answer: C. The expected migration risk is anxiety about the new solution. Habit may also matter, but the stated mechanism is risk.
Practical prompt
Interview one person about a recent switch. Create a six-event timeline and mark:
- one push;
- one pull;
- one anxiety;
- one habit;
- the trigger that changed the decision.
Write a job hypothesis only after the timeline.
Summary
- Real events are more useful than hypothetical preferences.
- Decisions develop over time.
- Push and pull support change; anxiety and habit resist it.
- The job statement is a synthesis of evidence, not the first interview answer.
Next lesson
Continue to Customer Journey Mapping: Build an Evidence Spine to analyse what happens after a customer begins pursuing the job.