Overview
The in-platform discussion guide builder is a powerful tool designed to streamline the creation of discussion guides directly within the platform. This feature empowers you to efficiently develop structured conversations, enabling you to send pre-programmed content to participants during Live sessions or set up self-paced questions for Flex sessions. Utilizing a well-crafted discussion guide ensures focused and productive online discussions.
This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to effectively program your discussion guides using the in-platform builder. For best practices and tips on creating engaging discussion guides, please refer to our dedicated article here.
Before you begin building your discussion guide, ensure you have already created your Conversation. If you haven’t set up your Conversation yet, please consult this article for step-by-step instructions.
Understanding How the In-Platform Discussion Guide Builder Works
There are several methods to create a Remesh Discussion Guide, but this article specifically focuses on the in-platform Discussion Guide Builder. We highly recommend this method for users conducting single Remesh Conversations or for creating initial Conversations intended for duplication. The Right Within Discussion Guide builder approach offers convenience and efficiency for most users.
Article Contents
- Preparing to Write your Discussion Guide
- Using the Discussion Guide Builder
- Sections for Organization
- Estimated Time Management
- Leveraging Optional Messages
- Bulk Actions for Efficiency
- Saving Your Progress
- Importing Guides and Templates
- Utilizing Comments and Suggestions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Next Steps
Preparing to Write your Discussion Guide
Before you start programming right within discussion guide builder, it’s beneficial to familiarize yourself with Remesh’s Question Types and our recommended best practices. You can also access a quick overview directly within the platform by clicking “Guide Help” for contextual assistance.
Alt Text: Screenshot showing the “Guide Help” button within the Remesh platform, assisting users in understanding question types.
For a foundational understanding of crafting effective research using Remesh, you can find a helpful introduction here.
Using the Discussion Guide Builder: A Step-by-Step Guide
To access the right within discussion guide builder, navigate to your conversation and click “Discussion Guide” on the left-hand sidebar. Initiate the building process by simply clicking the blue “+” button to add and customize your content.
Upon clicking the blue “+”, you will be prompted to select your desired content type and adjust question settings. Your content options include: Ask Opinion, Ask Experience, Poll, Rank, Speak, Image, and Video. Detailed information about each of Remesh’s question types is available here.
Sections: Organize Your Discussion Flow
Utilizing sections is crucial for structuring your discussion guide, making it easier to manage, edit, and navigate your conversation flow. This is especially helpful for longer, more complex discussions.
To create a new section, simply click “Add Section.” Customize the section name by clicking on the current name. Access section settings by clicking the three dots icon associated with each section.
Within the section settings, you have several organizational options:
- Color Coding: Change the color of each section to visually differentiate topics and improve organization.
- Duplicate: Quickly duplicate sections to replicate similar question structures.
- Rearrange: Easily reorder sections to adjust the conversation flow.
- Delete: Remove sections that are no longer needed.
These features of the right within discussion guide builder allow for flexible and efficient structuring of your conversation.
Alt Text: Animated GIF demonstrating how to access and use section settings within the Remesh discussion guide builder, including color coding and duplication.
Alt Text: Animated GIF showing the drag-and-drop functionality for rearranging sections in the Remesh discussion guide builder, illustrating ease of workflow adjustment.
Estimated Time: Plan for Effective Live Sessions
For Remesh Live conversations, assigning an estimated time to each programmed question is essential. This time allocation determines how long participants will engage with each question during the live session. While the platform provides default time suggestions, we highly recommend customizing these durations to align with your specific research needs and the complexity of each question.
It’s important to note that time assignments are not applicable to Remesh Flex conversations, as participants complete these at their own pace.
The total estimated time for your entire conversation is displayed below the Edit/Review buttons. Clicking the timer icon provides a detailed breakdown of the total estimated time and item count categorized by message type. When using sections, each section will also display its individual estimated time, allowing for granular time management.
Estimated time calculations differ slightly between Live and Flex sessions:
- Remesh Live: Estimated time is based on the pre-assigned duration for each question.
- Remesh Flex: Estimated time is based on the average completion time for each question type, derived from participant behavior patterns.
For Live conversations, we recommend pre-programming approximately 85% of your total allotted session time. For instance, for a 60-minute session, aim for around 51 minutes of pre-programmed content. This buffer provides flexibility to incorporate spontaneous probing questions and adapt to the flow of the live discussion.
Optional Messages: Adding Flexibility to Your Guide
The right within discussion guide builder allows you to designate messages as optional. This feature is useful for preparing supplementary questions or prompts that you might use depending on participant responses or the direction of the conversation. Optional messages provide adaptability during live sessions.
Alt Text: Screenshot highlighting the “Optional” toggle switch for a message within the Remesh discussion guide builder, showing how to mark questions as optional.
Bulk Action: Efficiently Manage Multiple Messages
The bulk action feature in the right within discussion guide builder significantly enhances efficiency when managing multiple discussion guide messages simultaneously. This allows you to apply edits to several items at once, saving time and effort. Bulk actions include:
- Duplicate: Duplicate multiple selected messages.
- Move: Relocate selected messages to different sections or positions.
- Set as Optional: Mark multiple messages as optional simultaneously.
- Delete: Remove multiple selected messages in one action.
Alt Text: Screenshot demonstrating the bulk action feature in the Remesh discussion guide builder, showing multiple messages selected and the bulk action options displayed.
Saving: Autosave Functionality
The right within discussion guide builder incorporates an autosave feature. After making changes to any item, simply clicking anywhere else on the page will automatically save your edits. However, it’s crucial to remember that the platform does not retain previous versions of your discussion guide once saved. Therefore, careful review before finalizing is recommended.
Importing and Discussion Guide Templates: Jumpstart Your Guide
To explore alternative methods for programming your discussion guide, select “Import”. This option provides access to additional functionalities, including importing existing guides or utilizing pre-designed discussion guide templates. Templates can be especially useful for quickly setting up common conversation structures.
Alt Text: Screenshot highlighting the “Import” button in the Remesh discussion guide builder, indicating options for importing guides or using templates.
Comments and Suggestions: Collaborate and Optimize
Comments:
Enhance collaboration by adding comments directly to individual discussion guide items. Hover over the item and select the comment icon to add your notes or feedback. Comments are displayed on the right-hand side, facilitating clear communication with team members.
Alt Text: Animated GIF showing how to add and view comments on discussion guide items within the Remesh platform, illustrating collaborative features.
Users with the following user permissions can create and respond to comments: workspace administrator, team admin (within the conversation’s team), team member (within the conversation’s team), and collaborators.
Suggestions:
If Generative AI features are enabled for your workspace, you will receive AI-powered suggestions as you write open-ended questions in your Discussion Guide. These intelligent suggestions are designed to help you optimize and strengthen your questions based on best practices and Remesh platform capabilities, further enhancing the right within discussion guide building experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can participants navigate to external links or videos outside of Remesh?
Yes, you can direct participants to external webpages by including a link within a Speak message type. However, for a seamless participant experience, we recommend keeping the majority of the conversation within the Remesh platform. You can embed both videos and images directly into the Remesh Conversation by selecting the image or video content types in the Discussion Guide.
What’s Next?
Continue building your Conversation by completing the Basic Details and Schedule sections. If necessary, recruit your participants, and review our comprehensive Conversation checklist to ensure you’ve covered all essential steps before launching your discussion.
