--- name: discover-interview-synthesis description: Synthesizes user research interviews into actionable insights, patterns, and recommendations. Use after conducting user interviews, customer calls, or usability sessions to extract and communicate findings. phase: discover version: "2.0.0" updated: 2026-01-26 license: Apache-2.0 metadata: category: research frameworks: [triple-diamond, lean-startup, design-thinking] author: product-on-purpose --- # Interview Synthesis An interview synthesis transforms raw user research data into structured insights that drive product decisions. Rather than simply listing what participants said, a good synthesis identifies patterns across conversations, connects observations to underlying user needs, and translates findings into actionable recommendations. ## When to Use - After completing a round of user interviews (typically 5+ participants) - Following customer discovery calls or sales feedback sessions - After usability testing sessions to consolidate observations - When stakeholders need a summary of research findings - Before ideation sessions to ground the team in user reality ## Instructions When asked to synthesize interview findings, follow these steps: 1. **Gather the Raw Material** Collect all interview notes, transcripts, or recordings. Ensure you have data from at least 3 participants to identify meaningful patterns. Note the research objective and methodology used. 2. **Create Participant Profiles** Document each participant with relevant context: their role, segment, tenure, and any notable characteristics. This helps readers assess the representativeness of findings. 3. **Identify Recurring Themes** Read through all notes and tag observations by topic. Look for themes that appear across multiple participants (ideally 3+). Distinguish between frequently mentioned topics and one-off comments. 4. **Extract Meaningful Quotes** Capture 3-5 verbatim quotes per theme that powerfully illustrate the insight. Good quotes are specific, emotional, or particularly articulate. Always attribute quotes to participant IDs. 5. **Synthesize into Insights** Transform themes into insight statements. An insight goes beyond observation ("users mentioned X") to interpretation ("users need Y because of Z"). Connect what you heard to why it matters. 6. **Formulate Recommendations** Based on the insights, propose prioritized actions. Each recommendation should tie directly to an insight. Note confidence level based on strength of evidence. 7. **Document Limitations** Acknowledge what you didn't learn, sample biases, or areas needing further research. Honest limitations increase credibility. ## Output Format Use the template in `references/TEMPLATE.md` to structure the output. ## Quality Checklist Before finalizing, verify: - [ ] Themes are supported by evidence from 3+ participants - [ ] Quotes are verbatim and attributed to participant IDs - [ ] Insights explain "why" not just "what" - [ ] Recommendations are specific and actionable - [ ] Participant identities are protected (no PII) - [ ] Limitations and biases are acknowledged ## Examples See `references/EXAMPLE.md` for a completed example.