How to write a discussion guide that opens people up
Start from the decision, ask about real moments and plan your follow-ups: a practical guide to better interviews.
A discussion guide is the backbone of every interview. It keeps conversations comparable without making them feel scripted. Here is how we write guides that open people up.
Start from the decision
Write down the decision your team needs to make, then the three to five things you need to learn to make it. Every question in the guide should serve one of them. If a question does not, cut it.
Open, then narrow
Begin with broad questions about the person's life and habits before you mention your product or category. Context first, details later: the early answers tell you how to read everything that follows.
Ask about the past, not the future
“Tell me about the last time you…” gets a true story. “Would you…” gets a polite guess. Anchor questions in real moments and real choices.
Plan your follow-ups
Note the follow-ups you want after key questions: why, an example, what happened next. In Écouter, the AI interviewer uses them as a starting point and adapts to each answer.
Keep it short
Ten to twelve core questions are plenty for a 20-minute conversation. Depth beats coverage.
