# Synthesise Customer Interview Notes Into Themes With Quotes

> Turn raw interview notes into evidence-backed themes with participant counts, verbatim quotes, contradictions and what each theme justifies.

- **Author:** [Karthik Menon (@karthik_menon)](https://promptabide.com/karthik_menon)
- **Tested on:** Claude · Opus 5.5
- **You fill in:** `research_question`, `notes`
- **Published:** 2026-08-01
- **Updated:** 2026-09-24
- **Tags:** `research`, `product-management`, `customer-support`, `data-analysis`
- **Keywords:** synthesize user interview notes, user research synthesis prompt, customer interview themes with quotes, affinity mapping with ai, why users churn interview analysis
- **Views:** 315
- **Likes:** 48

**Best for:** Product managers, UX researchers and founders with a stack of interview notes who need honest themes before a roadmap or design decision.

## Prompt

```
Synthesise these interview notes into themes I can act on. Stay close to what people actually said.

Research question: {{research_question}}
Notes (one block per participant, labelled P1, P2...): {{notes}}

1. Themes: 3-5, each with
   - a name that states a finding ("Owners distrust auto-categorisation"), not a topic ("Categorisation");
   - how many participants support it (e.g. 4 of 6) and which ones;
   - 1-2 verbatim quotes with participant labels, using only exact wording from the notes;
   - any participant who contradicts it.
2. Surprises: anything that goes against what the research question assumes.
3. Weak signals: things only one person said that might matter, marked n=1.
4. Implications: for each theme, one decision it supports and one it doesn't justify yet.

Rules: don't count a participant twice for the same theme. Don't merge themes to make them look bigger. If a quote is paraphrased in the notes rather than verbatim, say so. Don't infer emotions people didn't express.
```

## Variables

- `{{research_question}}` — The question the interviews set out to answer (e.g. Why do freelance designers stop using our invoicing app within a month?)
- `{{notes}}` — Interview notes, one labelled block per participant (e.g. P1 (brand designer): set up account, sent one invoice...)

## Example input

```
research_question: Why do freelance designers who sign up for our invoicing app stop using it within the first month?
notes:
P1 (brand designer, 3 years freelance): Set up account, sent one invoice. "The client paid through a link I didn't recognise and emailed me asking if it was a scam." Went back to sending PDFs from Word.
P2 (illustrator): Still uses the app, but only for time tracking. "Invoicing I only do once a month, so I forget the app exists." Would like a reminder on the 1st.
P3 (UX contractor, works through agencies): Agencies require invoices through their own portals. "I literally can't use your invoices for 80% of my income."
P4 (web designer): Stopped after the import failed. Imported 40 clients from a spreadsheet; about half came in with the wrong currency (EUR shown as GBP). "I don't trust it with money now."
P5 (motion designer): Still uses it, likes payment links. "Got paid in two days instead of two weeks." Said the price is fine.
P6 (brand designer): Left because the invoice template "looks like everyone else's". Wanted custom fonts: "my invoice is part of my brand". Also mentioned forgetting to log in between invoices.
```

## Output

*Produced by Claude · Opus 5.5.*

```
**Themes**

**1. One mistake involving money ends trust** (2 of 6: P1, P4)
- P4: "I don't trust it with money now."
- P1: "The client paid through a link I didn't recognise and emailed me asking if it was a scam."
- *Contradicts:* P5 had a good experience with payment links (see Surprises).

**2. Monthly invoicing means people forget the app exists** (2 of 6: P2, P6)
- P2: "Invoicing I only do once a month, so I forget the app exists."
- P6 said they forgot to log in between invoices. This is a paraphrase in the notes, not a direct quote.

**3. Some designers can't choose their invoice format** (1 of 6: P3)
- P3: "I literally can't use your invoices for 80% of my income."
- I've kept this separate from P6's branding complaint. They're different problems: P3 is blocked by agencies' rules, while P6 is unhappy with the design.

**Surprises**
- **Payment links are both the best and worst experience.** For P5 they meant "Got paid in two days instead of two weeks". For P1 they prompted a client to ask whether it was a scam. What makes the difference may be whether the client recognises the link.
- **Not everyone who "stopped" has left.** P2 still uses the app, but for time tracking, not invoicing.
- **Nobody gave price as a reason.** P5 said it was fine.

**Weak signals (n=1)**
- P3: agency contractors may be a segment the product can never serve. If it's common, that's a question for targeting, not a feature request.
- P6: brand designers want custom fonts, saying "my invoice is part of my brand".
- P4: the import problem was specific (currency). Check whether it's a bug that affects others.

**Implications**

| Theme | Supports | Doesn't justify yet |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Trust breaks on money errors | Fixing the currency import bug; showing the business name clearly on payment pages | A full trust and security redesign based on 2 people |
| 2. Forgotten between invoices | Testing an opt-in reminder on the 1st of the month | Building daily engagement features |
| 3. Format dictated by others | Asking at sign-up whether users invoice through agencies | Building integrations with agency portals |
```

## Why it works

**Theme names that state a finding** stop the vague headings ("Onboarding", "Trust") that make synthesis useless. **Participant counts with labels** and the **no double-counting rule** keep a theme from looking bigger than it is, which is critical with only 6 interviews. **Verbatim quotes only** prevents the model tidying people's words into what you hoped they'd say. **Weak signals at n=1** keep important one-off comments without inflating them. The **"doesn't justify yet"** half of each implication is a check against overreacting to small samples.

## When not to use it

It depends entirely on your notes: if they're already your interpretation rather than what people said, the themes will inherit your bias. Record and transcribe interviews where you can. Don't paste identifiable participant details into a chat tool without consent. For large studies (30+ interviews), use proper coding in a research tool.

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