Discussion guide
A discussion guide is the document an interviewer or moderator works from in a qualitative study: the topics to cover, the questions in a planned order, suggested probes and timings, all designed to answer the study's research questions.
How it works
A guide usually opens with an introduction and consent, then warm-up questions that put the participant at ease, then broad questions about the topic, narrowing to the specific areas the research needs, and ends with a wrap-up. Each section lists the main questions, follow-up probes and the time allowed.
The guide translates the team's research questions into questions a participant can answer, which are rarely the same thing. Good guides use open, neutral wording and ask about specific past experiences. In semi-structured interviews the guide is a map, not a script, and it may be refined after the first few interviews.
A worked example
A bank's guide for a study of mortgage switching runs 45 minutes in 5 sections. The first 3 interviews show the 10-minute section on rates produces little, while the section on the renewal letter overruns every time. The team moves 7 minutes to the letter for the remaining 17 interviews.
Related
Automate this in Pulse
Pulse drafts the discussion guide from the research question and areas in the brief, turning a one-page intent into the questions and order the moderator will follow.