Setting Up Your Question Guide

Starting Your Question Guide

To start your question guide, you have three options:

1. Start from Scratch – A blank slate to manually create your question guide from scratch
2. Paste an Existing Guide – If you have a pre-written question guide, you can simply paste it into Strella, and Strella will draft a structured question guide
3. Generate with AI – Strella can draft a question guide based on your research goals

If you choose to generate your guide with AI, you will be prompted to select the type of interview you are trying to create. You have 5 options:

1. Discovery Research: Understand your target audience, their needs, and market landscape
2. Concept Testing: Test new product ideas or concepts with potential users
3. Customer Journey: Understand how customers make decisions and navigate buying
4. Usability Testing: Assess how easy customers make decisions and navigate buying
5. Other: Define a custom research project tailored to your specific needs

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You will then be prompted to confirm your research objectives. This will ensure you receive the most accurate and tailored AI-generated guide for your research objectives, ensuring clarity and focus in your investigation. You can make updates to the objectives if needed, and once they are ready, you can click 'Submit'.

Once you have selected how you want to create your question guide, Strella will draft a structured guide.

Enhancing Your Question Guide

Once you review the guide, you can edit it as needed. Below are the various ways you can enhance the guide:

Re-ordering and deleting sections

To re-order sections, hover over the section you want to move until you see an icon with six dots appear to the left of the section title. Click and hold the icon, and drag and drop the section where you would like it to appear. The section numbers will automatically update.

To delete a section, hover over the section you want to delete until you see a trash icon appear to the left of the section title. Click on the trash icon, and the whole section will be deleted.

Re-ordering and deleting questions

To re-order questions, hover over the question you want to move until you see an icon with six dots appear to the left of the question. Click and hold the icon, and drag and drop the question where you would like it to appear.

To delete a question, hover over the question you want to delete until you see a trash icon appear to the left of the question. Click on the trash icon, and the question will be deleted.

Dynamic follow-up questions

Dynamic follow up questions are produced by AI so that they mimic a natural conversation when the interview goes on. This means that it's a dynamic conversation where the AI-moderator listens to what the participant says and asks relevant follow-ups based on the inputs you've provided. This means that no two interviews are the exact same.

If you choose to have an AI-generated question guide, it will take a guess at which questions are most important to your research goals and automatically turns on dynamic follow up questions.

You can identify which questions have dynamic follow-ups turned on with the comment bubble icon on the right side of a question. You can turn dynamic follow-up questions on or off by clicking the text of the question and turning the 'Ask follow-up questions' toggle on or off in the panel at the right side of the screen.

To enhance the dynamic follow-ups, you have the option to add guidance to help steer the questions it asks, and you can change the follow-up depth / the number of follow-ups it asks.

You can also provide some context / instructions for the moderator to help guide the follow-up questions.

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Adding question guide elements

Your question guide can have a combination of different elements, including questions, tasks, statements, multiple choice questions, ranking questions, sections, Figma prototypes, embedded content, links, and images.

To view and add a new element, hover a question and click the “+” icon. The element options will appear and you can click on the element that you want to include.

Details about each of these, including when to use it, best practices, and examples, are included in the following section: Understanding Question Guide Elements.

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Understanding Question Guide Elements

Your Question Guide consists of different elements that shape how the AI-moderator conducts user research interviews. This guide explains what each element does, how it functions in the AI-led experience, and best practices for using it effectively.

Open Question

Open-ended questions invite participants to freely share their thoughts and experiences, allowing for deeper insights. The AI-moderator presents the question, and participants answer in their own words.

When to use it

✅  When you need open-ended insights.

✅  Ideal for qualitative feedback, opinions, and stories.

Best practices

👍  Ask one clear question at a time.

👍  Avoid leading questions that might bias responses.

Example

❓  Can you describe a time when you struggled to complete a purchase online?

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Task

Tasks prompt participants to take an action, such as navigating a website or testing a feature. The AI-moderator provides the instructions and waits for the participant to confirm completion before continuing.

When to use it

✅  Usability testing or interactive tasks.

✅  When you need participants to engage with a product or design.

Best practices

👍  Keep instructions clear and concise.

👍  Set one clear task at a time.

👍  Follow up with an open question to capture insights.

Example

❓  Use the search function and try to find customer support contact details.

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Statement

A statement provides information to participants without requiring a response. It can introduce a new section, offer instructions, or clarify expectations.

When to use it

✅  To provide background or instructions before a question.

✅  To ensure clarity in multi-step processes.

Best practices

👍  Keep it brief—participants may lose focus if statements are too long.

👍  Only use when necessary to avoid disrupting the flow.

👍  Ensure the statement is engaging and delivered in a natural, conversational tone.

Examples

❓  Open the link and take a moment to review the page without clicking on anything.

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Multiple Choice

Multiple-choice questions present predefined answer options, making it easy to collect structured responses. The AI-moderator reads the question and participants select one or more choices.

When to use it

✅  When gathering structured responses.

✅  Useful for quantitative analysis.

Best practices

👍  Keep it brief—participants may lose focus if statements are too long.

👍  Only use when necessary to avoid disrupting the flow.

👍  Ensure the statement is engaging and delivered in a natural, conversational tone.

Example

❓  How often do you shop online?

• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Rarely

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Ranking

Ranking questions ask participants to arrange items in order of preference or importance. The AI-moderator presents the list, and participants reorder items accordingly on screen.

When to use it

✅  To understand priority or preference.

✅  When choices have relative importance.

Best practices

👍  Keep lists manageable (3-7 items).

👍  Ensure items are comparable.

👍  Follow up with an open question to understand reasoning.

Examples

❓ Prioritize these app features in order of importance

• Dark mode
• Offline access
• Faster load times
• Auto-save

Sections

Sections help structure the discussion guide by grouping related topics. The AI-moderator will introduce each section by reading the section title, so make sure it is clear, concise, and appropriate for guiding the conversation.

When to use it

✅  To separate topics for clarity.

✅  To improve flow in longer guides.

Best practices

👍  Use for complex discussions.

👍  Keep section titles clear and descriptive.

👍  Avoid jargon or overly technical terms that may confuse

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Figma Prototype

Figma Prototypes allow participants to explore and interact with design mockups. The AI-moderator prompts users to engage with the prototype and provide feedback.

When to use it

✅  Usability testing for UI/UX feedback.

✅  Concept validation.

Best practices

👍  Ensure the prototype is publicly accessible.

👍  Provide clear instructions on what to do.

👍  Use a follow-up question to capture insights.

Examples

❓ Navigate to the checkout flow and note any points of confusion.

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Embedded Content

Embedded content is shown to participants to gather their reactions to certain stimuli. The AI-moderator displays the content on screen before asking follow-up questions.

When to use it

✅  When you need feedback on custom content and want to get the participant’s reaction.

✅  To present custom content or widgets, such as an instructional video.

Best practices

👍  Provide context to avoid confusion.

👍  Use a follow-up question to capture insights.

Examples

❓ Watch this instructional video and describe your initial reaction.

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Link

Links direct participants to external resources, opening in a new tab. The AI-moderator provides a clickable link for easy access.

When to use it

✅  Directing users to external resources.

✅  Showing live websites or content.

Best practices

👍  Clearly state why users should visit the link.

👍  Ensure links are accessible on all devices.

👍  Use a follow-up question to capture insights.

Examples

❓ Visit this webpage and share your thoughts on the layout and readability.

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Image

Images are shown to participants to gather visual feedback or present concepts. The AI-moderator displays the image on screen before asking follow-up questions.

When to use it

✅  When you need visual feedback.

✅  To present a concept, wireframe, or design.

Best practices

👍  Ensure high-quality images.

👍  Provide context to avoid confusion.

👍  Use a follow-up question to capture insights.

Examples

❓ Look at this new logo concept and describe your initial impressions.

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Getting Suggestions For Your Question Guide

Once you have finished revising your question guide, it’s time review the suggestions for your guide to receive recommendations on how you can improve it. To analyze your guide, click 'Suggestions' in the top right corner.

Your guide will then be analyzed, and various suggestions will pop-up on the right side of the screen. Some suggestions may include:

• Avoid leading questions
• Ensure media reference is placed before a task or question
• Focus a question on behavior rather than feelings
• Avoid hypothetical questions

You can click on each suggestion and it will bring you to the question or element it is referring to. You can then revise as needed, and mark the suggestion as complete.