Prompt library
Build a user interview guide
Behavior-first questions ('walk me through the last time') produce evidence; hypothetical questions produce polite fiction. Baking follow-up probes and listening signals into the guide keeps a live interview on track when answers go sideways.
ResearchPlan
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
The prompt
Build a 30-minute interview guide for a conversation with {{participant}} about {{topic}}.
Structure:
1. Opening (2 min): a warm-up question that gets them describing their last concrete experience, not their opinions.
2. Core (20 min): 5-6 open questions ordered from behavior to motivation. For each, add two follow-up probes and the signal I should listen for.
3. Wildcard (5 min): one question that tests my riskiest assumption, phrased so it does not lead.
4. Close (3 min): the ask-for-artifacts question (screenshots, documents, workflows they can share).
Rules: every question must be about what they did, not what they would do. Flag any question in your own draft that violates this and fix it.Run in idaptOpens a new chat with the prompt prefilled. Nothing sends until you press send.
Fill in the variables
| Variable | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {{participant}} | Who you are interviewing | a freelance designer who churned after two months |
| {{topic}} | What you need to learn | how they decided our product was not worth keeping |