Getting Started with iMario: Your First Synthetic User Study

This guide walks you through everything you need to run your first synthetic user research study with iMario, from account creation to receiving your research report.

Prerequisites

• An iMario account (sign up free)
• A research question or topic you want to explore
• Basic familiarity with qualitative research concepts

Step 1: Create Your Workspace

After signing up, you'll be prompted to create your first workspace. Workspaces help organize your research projects and collaborate with team members.

1. Click Create Workspace from the dashboard
2. Name your workspace (e.g., "Product Research Q1 2026")
3. Invite team members if applicable (optional)

Step 2: Create a Research Task

A task in iMario represents a single research study. Each task follows a structured flow from audience definition to report generation.

1. Click New Task in your workspace
2. Give your task a descriptive name
3. You'll see the Task Canvas — a visual workflow that guides you through the research process

Step 3: Define Your Target Audience

The audience node lets you specify who you want to interview:

• Demographics: Age range, gender, location, education level
• Professional profile: Industry, job title, years of experience
• Behavioral traits: Technology adoption, purchase behavior, brand preferences

iMario's Seed-Deep Persona engine generates uniquely realistic synthetic users through a multi-phase pipeline with diversity validation.

Step 4: Create Your Discussion Guide

The discussion guide is the backbone of your research. You have two options:

Option A: AI-Assisted Guide Creation

1. Click the Discussion Guide node on the canvas
2. Describe your research objectives in plain language
3. iMario's AI will generate a structured discussion guide
4. Review and customize the generated questions

Option B: Manual Upload

1. Write your discussion guide in your preferred format
2. Upload it to the Discussion Guide node
3. iMario will parse and structure the content

Tips for Effective Guides

• Start with broad questions, then narrow down
• Use open-ended questions (avoid yes/no)
• Include 10-15 main questions for a 45-minute interview
• Add probing instructions for deeper exploration

Step 5: Generate Synthetic Users

Once your audience and discussion guide are ready:

1. Add an Audience node on the canvas and select your persona group
2. Specify the number of synthetic users (we recommend 8-15 for initial studies)
3. iMario generates diverse synthetic personas matching your criteria
4. Review the generated profiles to ensure they match your needs

Step 6: Run Interviews

This is where the magic happens:

1. Click Start Interviews on the canvas
2. iMario's AI interviewer conducts parallel interviews with all synthetic users
3. Watch real-time progress as interviews are completed
4. Each interview follows your discussion guide with intelligent follow-up probing

Interviews typically complete in 15-30 minutes for a full batch.

Step 7: Generate Your Report

After interviews are complete:

1. Click the Report node on the canvas
2. Configure your report preferences (format, depth, focus areas)
3. iMario's ReportAnalyser synthesizes all interview data into a comprehensive report
4. The report includes:
   • Executive summary
   • Key findings organized by theme
   • Supporting quotes from synthetic users
   • Actionable recommendations
   • Detailed appendix with raw data

Step 8: Share and Act on Insights

Your report can be shared in multiple ways:

• Download as PDF, HTML, or Markdown
• Share link — Generate a public link for stakeholders
• Export raw data for further analysis

Next Steps

• Refine your approach — Run follow-up studies with adjusted questions
• Test concepts — Upload prototypes or concepts for synthetic user evaluation
• Scale up — Increase sample sizes for higher-confidence findings
• Explore guides — Check our other guides for advanced techniques

Frequently Asked Questions

How many synthetic users should I include?

For exploratory research, 8-12 synthetic users provide good thematic coverage. For concept testing or comparative studies, use 15-20 to capture a wider range of perspectives.

Can I reuse discussion guides?

Yes. You can save, duplicate, and modify discussion guides across tasks. We recommend iterating on your guides based on initial findings.

How do I interpret the results?

The AI-generated report highlights key themes, patterns, and outliers. Look for consistent themes across multiple synthetic users as your highest-confidence findings.