| 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 across participants. Distinct from foundation-meeting-recap, which summarizes one internal meeting for its attendees; this skill aggregates research conversations into evidence-backed findings. |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| metadata | {"phase":"discover","version":"2.1.0","updated":"2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z","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
When NOT to Use
- You are summarizing one internal meeting for its attendees -> use
foundation-meeting-recap
- You need patterns across multiple meetings over time -> use
foundation-meeting-synthesize
- Your data is survey responses rather than interviews -> use
measure-survey-analysis
- The findings are synthesized and you are ready to frame the problem -> use
define-problem-statement
Instructions
When asked to synthesize interview findings, follow these steps:
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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.
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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.
-
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. A complete synthesis fills every template section: Research Overview; Key Themes; Notable Quotes; Insights; Recommendations; and Appendix.
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
Examples
See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed example.
