These prompts help you prepare for and analyze focus group research using an LLM. Each prompt includes placeholders in [brackets] — replace them with your project specifics before running. The prompts are designed for ChatGPT, Claude, or any general-purpose LLM.
Discussion guide creation
You are a senior qualitative researcher preparing a focus group study.
Context:
- Product/service: [describe your product or concept]
- Research objective: [what you want to learn from participants]
- Target participants: [who they are, how many per group]
- Session length: [90-120 minutes]
- Format: [in-person / remote via Zoom / hybrid]
Write a complete focus group discussion guide with:
1. Opening (5-10 min): ground rules script, consent reminder, icebreaker question related to the topic
2. Broad exploration (20-30 min): 3-4 open-ended questions about participants' current experiences and attitudes in the problem space, each with 2-3 follow-up probes
3. Focused discussion (30-40 min): 2-3 specific concepts or stimuli to react to, with instructions to write individual reactions before group discussion
4. Interactive exercise (15-20 min): a ranking, dot-voting, or card-sorting activity with clear instructions
5. Wrap-up (10 min): closing question, thank-you script, next-steps explanation
Rules:
- All questions must be open-ended
- Include moderator notes on when to ask for written responses before verbal discussion
- Mark approximate timing for each section
- Include specific probes for managing dominant speakers and engaging quiet participantsScreening questionnaire for recruitment
I need to recruit focus group participants.
Context:
- Product/concept being discussed: [describe]
- Research goal: [what you want to learn]
- Target users: [behavioral profile, not demographics]
- Number of groups: [how many], [how many per group]
Write a screening questionnaire (10-12 questions) that:
1. Filters for behavioral criteria relevant to the research goal
2. Includes at least two disqualifying questions (e.g., works in the industry, participated in a focus group in the last 6 months)
3. Does not reveal which answers qualify — avoid transparent criteria
4. Groups participants by attitude or experience level to compose balanced groups
5. Ends with availability, consent to be recorded, and confirmation of incentiveCross-session thematic analysis
I conducted [N] focus groups about [topic]. Below are the transcripts or detailed notes from each session.
[Paste transcripts or session notes, clearly labeled Group 1, Group 2, etc.]
Analyze this data:
1. Identify 5-8 themes that appeared across multiple groups
2. For each theme: one-sentence insight, supporting quotes (labeled by group), and how many groups raised it
3. Note themes that appeared in only one group — are they outliers or early signals?
4. Highlight points where groups disagreed with each other and possible reasons
5. Flag instances of potential groupthink: rapid consensus with little debate, or agreement that contradicts individual written responses
6. Suggest 3-5 actionable recommendations based on the findings
7. Identify gaps where additional research (interviews, surveys, usability tests) is needed
Format each insight as: "Observation: [what emerged]. Implication: [what it means for the product]."Stimulus material creation
I am running a focus group about [topic] and need stimulus materials to prompt discussion.
Context:
- Product/concept: [describe]
- What we want reactions to: [specific aspect — positioning, feature set, naming, pricing model]
- Participants: [who they are]
Create [3-4] distinct concept descriptions (each 80-120 words) that:
1. Present the same core idea with different framings, value propositions, or emphasis
2. Are written in plain language participants would use, not marketing copy
3. Are neutral in tone — none should be obviously "better" than the others
4. Include a brief instruction for the moderator on how to present them (all at once vs. one at a time, individual written reaction first vs. immediate group discussion)