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Work with Charles, our AI researcher, to design a research plan tailored to your specific context and objectives. This step ensures your study asks the right questions to get the insights you need.

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Overview

In this step, you’ll provide context about your research goals so Charles can create a customized learning plan. The more context you provide, the more tailored and effective your study will be.
Why this matters: A generic NPS study asks generic questions. A customized NPS study for your specific situation—your company, your recent changes, your hypotheses—delivers actionable insights you can act on immediately.

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Chatting with Charles

You work with Charles in a chat interface — type your context, and the research plan builds in the panel on the right as you go. You can keep refining it by continuing the conversation.

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What Charles Will Ask

Charles will ask clarifying questions to understand your research context. The specific questions depend on your study type and what you share, but typically include:

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Context Questions

  • Company/Product: What company or product is this research for?
  • Situation: What’s happening that prompted this research?
  • Hypotheses: What do you think might be causing the issue or driving the behavior?

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Scope Questions

  • Target participants: Which customer segments should we prioritize?
  • Time period: What timeframe are we focusing on?
  • Channels/touchpoints: Are there specific areas of the experience to focus on?

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Objective Questions

  • Key question: What’s the one question that must be answered for this study to be successful?
  • Decisions: What decisions will this research inform?
  • Stakeholders: Who will be using these insights?

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Example Conversation

Here’s an example of how a conversation with Charles might go for an NPS study: You:
“We’re Nike Store and our NPS scores have dropped significantly over the past few months. We want to understand why our customers are less satisfied and what’s driving the decline.”
Charles:
“Before I draft the Learning Plan, a few quick clarifications will sharpen the objectives and conversation flow:
  1. Scope of decline: Which channels and geographies are included in the NPS drop (Nike.com, Nike App, SNKRS, owned retail, outlet, third-party marketplaces; US only or broader)? Over what exact period?
  2. Hypothesis inventory: Beyond general dissatisfaction, do you have internal theories—pricing changes, inventory issues, shipping delays, recent app updates, return policy changes?
  3. Target participants: Which segments should we prioritize, and which respondent roles? Do you want a balanced mix of detractors, passives, and promoters?”

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The Research Plan Panel

As you provide context, Charles generates a research plan that appears in the right panel. This plan includes:

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Editing the Research Plan

You have two ways to refine the research plan:

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Option 1: Continue the Conversation

Keep chatting with Charles to request changes. For example:
  • “Can you add questions about our recent pricing changes?”
  • “I’d like to focus more on the mobile app experience”
  • “Remove the section about competitive alternatives”
Charles will update the plan based on your feedback.
Screener questions: You can ask Charles to add screener questions at any time—for example, “add a screener for senior product managers.” He’ll prefer standard panel qualifications where they fit.

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Option 2: Edit Directly in Step 3

You can also edit the research plan directly in the next step (Review Goals). This is useful for making small text changes or fine-tuning specific questions.

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Minimum context required

While you can proceed without extensive customization, Charles needs some basic context to create an effective study:
  • Company/Product name: So the interviewer knows who they’re representing
  • Core research question: What you’re trying to learn
Tip: If you’re confident the default research plan meets your needs, you can type something like “Use your best judgment” to proceed with the standard template. However, providing context typically results in more actionable insights.

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Proceeding to the Next Step

Once you’re satisfied with the research plan showing in the right panel:
  1. Review the plan to ensure it addresses your key questions
  2. Click Save & Continue to proceed to Step 3: Review Goals

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Frequently Asked Questions

You need to provide some basic context (company name and research question), but you can keep it brief if the default plan meets your needs.
That’s okay! Just tell Charles what you do know. He’ll work with whatever context you can provide.
Yes. You can click Back to return to this step at any point, or edit the plan directly in Step 3.
Most users complete this step in 5-10 minutes. Complex research needs may take longer.