Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with OpinioAI in just 15 minutes. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to start conducting synthetic research and generating valuable insights.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• ✅ OpinioAI Account: Created your account and verified your email
• ✅ Plan Selection: Chosen the right subscription plan for your needs
• ✅ Research Goal: A clear idea of what you want to learn or validate

Step 1: Explore the Dashboard (2 minutes)

After logging in, familiarize yourself with the main navigation:

• Dashboard: Your home base with recent activity and quick actions
• Synthesize: Create surveys, interviews, and conversations with personas
• Evaluate: Test content and designs through different perspectives
• Analyze: Upload and analyze files with AI assistance
• Personas: Manage your synthetic personas and segments

Step 2: Create Your First Persona (5 minutes)

Personas are the foundation of synthetic research. Let's create a simple one:

Quick Persona Creation

1. Navigate to Personas → Create New Persona

2. Choose Start from Template for your first persona

3. Select a template that matches your target audience:

   • Tech-Savvy Millennial (25-35, urban, high income)
   • Budget-Conscious Parent (30-45, suburban, middle income)
   • Business Professional (35-55, mixed locations, high income)

4. Customize the key characteristics:

   • Demographics: Adjust age, location, income as needed
   • Interests: Add relevant hobbies and preferences
   • Values: What's important to them (family, career, sustainability, etc.)

5. Save your persona with a descriptive name

Pro Tip: Start with personas representing your primary target audience.

Step 3: Try Ask Away (5 minutes)

Get familiar with conversational research:

Your First Conversation

1. Go to Synthesize → Ask Away
2. Select the persona you just created
3. Start with a simple question like:

   "What factors are most important when choosing [your product category]?"
   

4. Follow up based on their response:

   "Can you tell me more about that?"
   "What would make you choose one option over another?"
   

5. Notice how the persona maintains context and personality throughout

What to Look For

• Consistency: Responses should align with the persona's characteristics
• Detail: Look for specific, thoughtful answers
• Personality: The persona's traits should come through in their responses

Step 4: Create a Simple Questionnaire (3 minutes)

Design your first structured survey:

Quick Questionnaire Setup

1. Navigate to Questionnaires → Create New

2. Choose Start from Template and select:

   • Product Feedback Survey for product research
   • Brand Perception Study for brand research
   • Customer Satisfaction Survey for experience research

3. Customize 3-5 key questions:

   • Keep questions clear and specific
   • Mix question types (multiple choice, rating scales, open-ended)
   • Focus on your most important research objectives

4. Save your questionnaire

Sample Questions to Include

• Rating Scale: "How satisfied are you with [product/service]?" (1-5 scale)
• Multiple Choice: "Which features are most important to you?" (select all that apply)
• Open-Ended: "What would improve your experience?"

Step 5: Run Your First Research (Minutes)

Launch your research and generate insights:

Quick Research Launch

1. From your questionnaire, click Launch Research
2. Select Personas: Choose 1-3 personas for your first study
3. Set Response Count: Start with 10-20 responses per persona
4. Choose AI Model: Use the recommended model (usually Gemini)
5. Launch and watch responses generate in real-time

Analyzing Your Results

• Response Patterns: Look for common themes across personas
• Persona Differences: Notice how different personas respond differently
• Key Insights: Identify surprising or valuable findings
• Quotes: Capture memorable responses for reporting

Next Steps: Expanding Your Research

Week 1: Build Your Foundation

• Create 3-5 Personas: Represent your key audience segments
• Design Core Questionnaires: Build templates for common research needs
• Explore Features: Try Interviews, Evaluations, and Analyze
• Team Setup: Invite team members and set up collaboration

Week 2: Advanced Techniques

• Synthetic Sampling: Create larger, statistically representative samples
• Advanced Questions: Try MaxDiff, Van Westendorp, and grid questions
• Content Evaluation: Test marketing materials and designs
• Integration: Connect with your existing tools and workflows

Month 1: Optimization

• Persona Refinement: Improve personas based on research outcomes
• Methodology Development: Establish research processes and standards
• Quality Assurance: Implement validation and quality checks
• Reporting: Create standardized reports and insights formats

Common First-Time Mistakes to Avoid

Persona Creation

• ❌ Too Generic: Avoid vague, one-dimensional personas
• ✅ Specific Details: Include realistic, specific characteristics

Question Design

• ❌ Leading Questions: Don't suggest desired answers
• ✅ Neutral Language: Ask unbiased, open questions

Research Scope

• ❌ Too Ambitious: Don't try to answer everything at once
• ✅ Focused Objectives: Start with 1-2 clear research goals

Results Interpretation

• ❌ Over-Reliance: Don't base major decisions solely on synthetic data
• ✅ Validation Planning: Plan to validate key insights with real users

Quick Reference

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Enter: Submit questions in Ask Away and Evaluations
• Ctrl+S: Save work in progress
• Esc: Close modals and overlays

Recommended Sample Sizes

• Exploratory Research: 10-20 responses per persona
• Validation Studies: 50-100 responses per segment
• Statistical Analysis: 200+ responses for confidence

Support Resources

• Help Center: Searchable knowledge base
• Live Chat: Real-time support during business hours
• Video Tutorials: Step-by-step feature guides
• Community Forum: Connect with other researchers

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Persona Responses Seem Generic

• Solution: Add more specific details to persona backgrounds
• Check: Ensure persona characteristics are realistic and detailed

Questions Not Getting Good Responses

• Solution: Make questions more specific and contextual
• Check: Avoid yes/no questions; ask for explanations and examples

Results Don't Match Expectations

• Solution: Review persona definitions and question wording
• Check: Consider if your assumptions about the audience were correct

Ready for More?

Congratulations! You've completed your first OpinioAI research project. Here's what to explore next:

Immediate Next Steps

• Create Advanced Personas with OCEAN personality traits
• Design Better Questionnaires with advanced question types
• Try Structured Interviews for deeper insights

Advanced Features

• Synthetic Sampling for large-scale research
• Content Evaluations for testing designs and copy
• File Analysis for document and media insights

Best Practices

• Research Methodology for effective synthetic research
• Team Collaboration for working with colleagues
• Quality Assurance for reliable insights

Welcome to the future of market research with OpinioAI! 🚀