Study Design 101

Getting Started

After logging into Listen Labs, you’ll be brought to your dashboard page. This central hub displays all your existing studies. The dashboard gives you a bird’s-eye view of all your research projects in one place, allowing for efficient project management. You can also use the “Create Folder” to help manage organizing your studies!

---

Step 1: Creating Your Project

1. Click on New Study from your dashboard to begin your research journey
2. You’ll be taken to the “Tell us about your project” page, part of our Create function. Here you should provide comprehensive details about:
   • Project Background: Context that helps the AI understand your research needs
   • Company Information: Details about your organization to personalize the interview experience
   • Study Objectives: Specific insights you hope to gather, which guides the AI’s questioning strategy
   • Hypotheses: Key assumptions you want to test, helping the AI probe in the right areas
3. Click the arrow to proceed to the discussion guide creation phase

Time-Saving Alternative: If you already have a discussion guide, upload it directly and the AI will intelligently parse it, saving you setup time

---

Step 2: Build Your Discussion Guide with the AI Chat

In this section, you’ll collaborate with the AI, Listen, to create a structured yet dynamic discussion guide

• AI-Generated Guide: The system analyzes your inputs and automatically generates clear study goals, a screener, active recruit, respondent format, and discussion guide tailored to your initial inputs and objectives
  • The discussion guide appears on the right side of your screen for easy review; you can scroll the right hand side to view all of the questions
  • Click “Export” to download a docx copy of your discussion guide
• Interactive Chat Interface: Use the intuitive chat function on the left to refine your guide
  • The guide updates in real-time as you chat with the AI, allowing for iterative improvements
  • You can undo any edits by clicking the “Undo / Redo” buttons at the top of the page
  • Simply type natural language commands to shape your guide. For example:
    • “Add demographic screener questions”: Inserts pre-validated screening questions to ensure you’re reaching the right audience. (More on screening HERE)
    • “Add a concept test”: Creates a structured section for evaluating products, advertisements, or other stimuli with consistent metrics
    • “Edit question wording for question X”: Refines question language for clarity or to address specific research needs
    • “Rearrange questions for flow”: Optimizes the flow of your interview for better participant experience and data quality
    • “Add follow-up probes to question X”: Ensures the AI digs deeper on critical topics to uncover insights
• Automatic Estimations:
  • Length of Interview (LOI): The system calculates approximately how long each interview will take, helping you plan participant incentives and manage expectations
  • Response Format: Shows how participants will interact with your questions, ensuring you get the data format you need (editable in Settings)
  • Recruitment Group: Creates a recruitment audience based on the profile criteria described (editable in the Recruit/Launch tab)
• When you’re satisfied with your guide structure, click Configure Study to move to detailed customization in the Editor.
  • You can navigate between the Create Chat and Editor by using the navigation menu at the top

---

Step 3: Configure in the Editor

The Editor gives you granular control over every element of your discussion guide.

• On the left hand side will be all of the individual questions broken out by section that were just created within the Create Chat

• On the right hand side will be an example of what the respondent will see when answering the specific question you are clicked into on the left hand side. You can test your screener logic and probes for individual questions, in the lens of a respondent, by selecting “Start video interview” at the bottom of the right hand side of the page

  

• Question Management

  • Question Visibility: Toggle the arrow next to each question to expand/collapse details, making navigation of complex guides easier
  • Question Types: Select from various formats (open-ended, multiple-choice, rating scales, etc.) to collect the right type of data for each research question
  • Follow-up Control: Adjust the number of AI follow-up questions to balance depth vs. interview length.
  • Probe Configuration: Add specific probing instructions in the “Other Instructions” field to guide the AI on exactly what aspects to explore further
  • Question and Section Organization: Use the six dots to move questions and sections for optimal interview flow
  • Question Actions: Delete questions by selecting the trash can
  • Duplication: Select the two papers icon to make duplicates / copies of a specific question

• Advanced Features

  • Media Integration: Drag and upload static images or videos
  • Website Embedding: Embed URLs directly within questions
  • Conditional Logic: Create sophisticated question branching based on previous multiple choice / closed ended responses

• Run from start

  • Use the “Run from start” button to test your interview as a real respondent while having access to editing the questions and probes as you go
    • Your answers from previous questions will not be saved if you click into any individual question once starting
    • You will not be able to preview any randomization for concept testing within this function (This function is available within the “Open Preview” - which is a true respondent experience that will open in a new window)

Quick Reference

Question Types:

• Open-ended: Best for exploratory research and deep insights
• Single select: When you want one clear answer from a list
• Multi-select: When multiple answers are possible
• Ranking: When you want respondents to compare options

Follow-up Levels:

• None: No additional questions beyond the main question
• On short answers: Only if response is a few words
• 1 follow-up: Light probing
• 2-3 follow-ups: Deeper exploration

---

Step 4: Configure Study Settings

In the Editor, access Study Settings (wrench icon on the left) to configure:

1. Language Settings: Set participant-facing languages and reporting language
2. Study Presentation: Add a title participants will see and an introduction brief
3. Translations: Enable multi-language support for global studies
4. URL Parameters: Add custom parameters for tracking or integrations
5. Markdown Formatting: Enable rich text formatting in question text

---

Anything missing? Let us know at [e-mail] and we’ll help you out!