Creating Effective Discussion Guides with iMario

A great discussion guide transforms good research questions into meaningful conversations. This guide shows you how to leverage iMario's AI-assisted tools to create discussion guides that consistently produce high-quality insights.

Understanding Discussion Guide Structure

Every effective discussion guide has four sections:

1. Research Brief (Context Section)

Before the questions begin, provide context that helps the interviewer (whether human or AI) understand the study:

• Research objective: What decisions will this research inform?
• Target respondent profile: Who are we talking to and why?
• Key hypotheses: What do we expect to find?
• Stimuli descriptions: Any concepts, images, or prototypes to be tested

In iMario, this context directly influences how the AI interviewer conducts probing and follow-up questions.

2. Screening Questions

Define the criteria that synthetic users must meet:

• Professional qualifications ("Must have 3+ years in product management")
• Behavioral criteria ("Must have purchased a SaaS product in the last 6 months")
• Attitudinal criteria ("Must be interested in AI tools for their work")

3. Core Discussion Questions

Structure your main questions using proven research frameworks:

The TEDW Framework:

• Tell me about... (open exploration)
• Explain how... (process understanding)
• Describe a time when... (behavioral recall)
• What would happen if... (hypothetical scenarios)

The Jobs-to-Be-Done Framework:

• What job were you trying to accomplish?
• What solutions did you consider?
• What made you choose your current approach?
• What would make you switch to something new?

4. Wrap-Up and Projection

End with questions that look forward:

• "If you had unlimited budget, how would you approach this differently?"
• "What would your ideal solution look like?"
• "What advice would you give to someone in a similar situation?"

Using iMario's AI Guide Builder

iMario's Discussion Guide Expert helps you create guides faster:

Step 1: Describe Your Research

Tell the AI what you're researching in plain language:

"I want to understand how product managers at mid-size SaaS companies decide which user research tools to purchase."

Step 2: Review AI-Generated Draft

The AI produces a structured guide with:

• Appropriate screening criteria
• Logically sequenced questions
• Built-in probing instructions
• Estimated section timings

Step 3: Customize and Refine

Edit the generated guide to:

• Add company-specific context
• Include proprietary concepts to test
• Adjust question depth based on priorities
• Add or remove sections as needed

Optimizing Guides for Synthetic Users

Synthetic user interviews benefit from specific optimizations:

1. Explicit context setting — Include a detailed scenario description that grounds the synthetic user's responses
2. Structured probes — Add specific probing instructions like "Ask for a concrete example" or "Explore the emotional response"
3. Clear section boundaries — Mark transitions between topics clearly
4. Balanced depth — Allocate more questions to your most important research areas

Common Patterns and Templates

Template: Product Concept Test

Objective: Evaluate [concept name] with target users

Warm-Up:
1. Tell me about your current approach to [problem area]
2. What tools or methods do you currently use?

Current Pain Points:
3. What frustrates you most about your current approach?
4. Describe a recent situation where your current tools fell short

Concept Introduction:
[Present concept description]
5. What's your initial reaction to this concept?
6. What aspects appeal to you most? Why?
7. What concerns do you have?

Comparison:
8. How does this compare to your current solution?
9. Would you consider switching? What would need to be true?

Wrap-Up:
10. What would make this concept a must-have for you?

Template: Brand Perception Study

Objective: Understand brand perception of [brand name]

Awareness:
1. What brands come to mind when you think of [category]?
2. Have you heard of [brand name]? What do you know about it?

Perception:
3. If [brand name] were a person, how would you describe them?
4. What words come to mind when you think of [brand name]?

Experience:
5. Have you used [brand name]'s products/services? Tell me about that experience
6. How did it compare to your expectations?

Competitive Context:
7. How does [brand name] compare to [competitor]?
8. What makes [brand name] different?

Future:
9. How likely are you to recommend [brand name]? Why?
10. What would [brand name] need to do to earn more of your attention?

Iterating on Your Guides

After your first study:

1. Review response quality — Are synthetic users providing deep, useful answers?
2. Identify weak questions — Which questions consistently produce shallow responses?
3. Check coverage — Did you miss any important topics?
4. Refine probes — Add specific follow-up instructions where depth was lacking

iMario saves all your discussion guides, making it easy to iterate across studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a discussion guide be?

For synthetic user research on iMario, we recommend 10-15 main questions with 2-3 probes each. This typically produces 45-60 minutes of rich interview content per respondent.

Can I use the same guide for different audiences?

Yes, with minor adjustments. Customize the screening criteria and context sections while keeping core questions consistent for cross-segment comparison.