Research Guides
Build structured discussion guides for AI-moderated interviews, including screening policies, stimulus materials, and insight generation.
Research guides are structured discussion scripts that the AI moderator follows during interviews. They define the conversation flow, screening criteria, and stimulus materials for qualitative research.
Creating a Research Guide
Navigate to your project
Go to the project where you want the guide and click New Guide.
Write the discussion guide
Define the questions and flow the AI moderator will follow. Structure your guide with sections and questions, just as you would for a human moderator.
Add stimulus materials
Upload images, videos, or files that should be shown to participants during the interview. These can be presented at specific points in the conversation.
Set the screening policy
Define rules that determine whether a participant qualifies based on their interview responses.
Publish a version
When your guide is ready, publish a version to lock it in. You can continue editing and publish new versions as needed.
Discussion Guide Structure
A discussion guide typically includes:
- Introduction - what the interview is about, how long it will take
- Warm-up questions - easy questions to get the conversation started
- Core questions - the main research questions you need answered
- Stimulus prompts - points where images, videos, or prototypes are shown
- Wrap-up - closing questions and next steps
The AI moderator uses your guide as a framework but adapts naturally based on participant responses. It will ask follow-up questions, probe deeper on interesting answers, and skip sections that are not relevant.
Follow-up Questions
You can control how much the moderator probes. The follow-up setting on a question is the number of additional probing questions the moderator may ask after the participant's initial answer (for example, "What makes you say that?"). More follow-ups produce richer qualitative depth; fewer keep the interview shorter and more structured.
Screen Sharing
If you need to see what a participant does (for example, walking through your product or a prototype), attach the relevant link or media to that section of the guide. The moderator requests the screen share at that point in the conversation, and the recording is captured alongside the interview. Screen recording requires a desktop browser. See Technical Requirements for participant-side constraints.
Screening Policies
A screening policy attached to your guide defines automatic qualification rules based on interview responses. The AI evaluates each interview against your policy and recommends whether the participant should pass or fail screening.
This is particularly useful for:
- Qualifying participants based on nuanced, open-ended answers
- Screening for domain expertise that cannot be captured in multiple-choice questions
- Detecting low-effort or dishonest responses
Stimulus Materials
You can upload stimulus materials that are shown to participants during the interview:
| Material Type | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Images | Screenshots, mockups, logos, product photos |
| Videos | Walkthroughs, ads, product demos |
| Files | Documents, prototypes, reference materials |
Stimulus materials are presented at the points you specify in the discussion guide. You can also search the web for images directly from the guide editor.
Version History
Guides support version control:
- Draft - your working copy that you can edit freely
- Published versions - snapshots locked for use in opportunities
- Revert - roll back to any previous published version
Always publish a new version before linking a guide to an opportunity. Opportunities reference a specific published version, so changes to the draft do not affect active opportunities.
Insights
After interviews are completed, Terac can generate AI-powered insights from the transcripts. Insights include:
- Themes - recurring patterns across multiple interviews
- Key quotes - notable participant statements with timestamps
- Evidence - links from insights back to the specific interview moments that support them
You can also create insights manually and tag interview evidence to support your findings.