AI Moderator: Structured vs. Freeform Discussion Style

Last updated: August 14, 2026

When building your AI Moderated study, 'Conversation only' and 'Conversation with image' goal formats can have a different discussion styles. This setting defines how questions are presented and how the discussion flows: whether questions should be asked exactly as written, or if the AI adapts based on participants’ answers. This helps you balance consistency and depth in your research.

There are two styles you can choose from: Structured and Freeform.

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Structured

In a structured conversation, questions are asked exactly as written and in a fixed order. Each participant experiences the same sequence of questions, creating consistent conditions across sessions.

Use it when:

  • You have a clear, predefined set of questions

  • You want to collect specific, comparable information

  • You need consistent data across participants

Examples:

  • Gathering demographic data, like age, role, or experience level

  • Testing specific product flows or wording, where you want answers to identical prompts

  • Following a scripted survey or benchmark study, where question order affects interpretation

Benefits:

  • Keeps data consistent across sessions

  • Makes it easier to compare results and measure trends

  • Reduces variation introduced by adaptive or follow-up questions

With the structured discussion style, you'll notice specific questions are pre-populated alongside the goal with a recommended set of follow-up questions that can be adjusted as you see fit.

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If you would like to add additional questions, you can click Generate question to auto-populate a question or manually create your own by clicking Add question.

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Freeform

In a free-form conversation, the AI adjusts questions and follow-ups based on participants’ responses. The flow feels more natural and can branch into relevant topics as they arise.

Use it when:

  • You’re in early research stages and want to explore ideas or problems

  • You’re collecting feedback on concepts, prototypes, or messaging

  • You want to understand motivations, behaviors, or experiences in more depth

Examples:

  • Exploring how participants describe a pain point in their own words

  • Asking for feedback on a new idea to learn what resonates and what doesn’t

  • Running concept discovery sessions to identify new directions for research

Benefits:

  • Encourages richer, more natural responses

  • Surfaces insights or themes you might not anticipate in a fixed script

  • Helps uncover areas to explore further in later studies

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