This step translates the brief into a structured conversation that can be run consistently across interviews while still allowing natural, human responses. The discussion guide is where research intent becomes a lived experience for participants. Its role is not just to “cover topics”, but to sequence questions, introduce stimulus appropriately, and create space for depth, tension, and explanation. The closer the guide aligns to the underlying decision and objectives, the more usable the resulting insight.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.focaldata.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
You can start with a discussion guide before you’ve created a brief — but if a brief exists, the guide will lean heavily on its research objectives.
General principles
- Around 30 minutes in length.
- Structured in sections that map to research objectives.
- Balanced between open exploration and focused probing.
- Designed to work conversationally, not as a rigid script.
Creating a guide
You can generate a guide by:- Prompting the discussion guide agent directly (e.g. “Create a discussion guide for this brief”).
- Clicking Generate discussion guide in the platform.
Iterating on the guide
You can both prompt the agent to change parts of the guide and directly edit the artefact in the system.| Change | Example prompt |
|---|---|
| Language / tone | ”Adapt this guide for a non-corporate audience and simplify the language accordingly.” |
| Adding probes | ”Add more probes about emotional responses in the stimulus section.” |
| Generative feedback | ”Show me where this guide risks over-emphasising one route over the others.” |