| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Business question | The decision the research should inform |
| Research objective | A question the study needs to answer |
| Hypothesis | An expectation to explore through research |
| Audience | The people you need to hear from |
| Screener | Questions that check whether someone qualifies for the study |
| Quota | A target limit for a particular participant group |
| Interview guide | The questions and activities that shape the conversation |
| Probe | A follow-up question that explores an answer in more depth |
| Stimulus | An image, video or document shown to a participant |
| Finding | A conclusion supported by the study’s evidence |
| Verbatim | A participant’s own words, quoted from their response |
| Codebook | The themes or labels used to organize and compare answers |
| Persona | A profile describing a segment’s shared needs or attitudes |
| Highlight | A selected participant response that illustrates a finding |
| Synthetic response | An AI-generated simulation based on existing interview material |
Help and resources
Research terms, simply explained
A short guide to the language of studies, interviews and findings.
Use these terms when planning research or discussing results with your team.
See how a study fits together or explore the research approach.