Questions and topics
One guide can hold both, and any item can switch kind while you build. Pillow rewrites the text when it does, since the two describe different things: a topic describes an area to explore, a question states a script.
The other difference is coverage. A topic is covered the moment your agent knows the answer, so one rich reply can settle several at once. A question is only covered once it has actually been asked, even if the participant already volunteered the answer.
Follow-ups
Interview depth sets how often your agent follows up on an item before moving to the next one:
An item can carry its own Follow-ups instructions, which override this rhythm for that item alone. They steer where your agent digs, while depth still sets how much.
The main goal
A one-sentence summary of what the study is trying to learn. The Study Builder uses it to keep your items pointed at the same outcome, while your agent interviews from the items themselves.Where the guide lives
You edit the guide in the Study Builder while a study is in Draft. Going live locks the questions, and the guide stays readable under Settings → Brief, where the study depth, study goals, research notes, agent, outreach message and languages remain editable. Those edits stay unpublished until you click Save and publish in the banner, and participants keep the published brief until then.Further reading
Write your interview guide
Build your guide from questions, topics, or both.
Create a study
Take a study from objective to live.
Interviews
How your agent runs each interview.
Notes
Rules your agent follows in every interview.