Use this template as a resource to draw from during continuous discovery interview sessions – not a script to follow from top to bottom. Pick the questions that fit the conversation, adapt the language to suit your participants, and let the session go where it's most useful.

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Before the session

• [ ] Screener sent and participant confirmed
• [ ] Recurring calendar slot protected
• [ ] Recording set up and tested
• [ ] Notes doc open and ready
• [ ] Two or three focus areas selected from the question bank below

Moderator note: You don't need to prepare a formal discussion guide for every session. Picking two or three themes to explore – and knowing which questions you'll use to open each one – is enough structure for a natural, productive conversation.

Warm-up (5 minutes)

Start with a few easy questions to help the participant relax and give you useful background. The goal is to build rapport and establish that this is a conversation, not an interview.

• Tell me a bit about your role – what does a typical day look like for you?
• How long have you been working in [relevant field or role]?
• How did you come to be involved in [relevant area]?

Moderator note: Keep warm-up questions light and genuinely curious. Listen for details that might be worth following up on later – participants often mention something in passing during warm-up that turns out to be the most interesting thread in the session.

Context setting