# Open Questions & Verbatim Analysis | Harmate

Analyze free-form answers, review the excerpts supporting each theme, and select the evidence to carry into a decision file.

- Canonical URL: https://www.harmate.com/en/product/open-questions
- Language: en
- Updated: Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

## Content

Harmate turns a body of open-ended responses into readable themes and findings. You review the excerpts that support them, then choose the evidence to carry into your decision.
- Open Questions

Source Excerpts

Themes & Findings

Selected Evidence
- Create an Open Questionnaire
- See the Analysis Journey

#### Your audiences give you the reasons. You still need to see them.

A free-form answer becomes useful when the team quickly spots what repeats, what diverges, and what should change the next step.
- The Raw Material

#### Read in the Right Place

Themes direct attention to the answers that actually support the finding.

#### Preserve the Nuance

Original wording remains visible behind summaries and categories.

#### Decide with the Sources

Cited themes and findings remain accompanied by the excerpts used. The team reviews the corpus before making a decision.

#### From Theme to Source Excerpts, Then to the Decision File

Open a theme to review the wording it contains. A selected piece of evidence can then be added to a decision file.
- Illustrative Example

#### What would help you contribute more easily in this group?

#### An Explicit Frame Unlocks Participation

The blocker is not a lack of ideas, but discussion rules that are not visible enough.

I can speak up when the frame is clear, but I need some preparation time before group discussions.

Without clear speaking rules, I would rather wait even when I have something to add.

#### Preparation Changes Participation

Sharing topics ahead of time gives participants time to shape their contribution.

When I receive the topics in advance, I prepare my ideas and participate more.

#### Add Evidence to the Decision File

After review, the team chooses the useful excerpt and adds it to the decision file it is building.
- Team Action

#### Open Themes, Review Excerpts, Carry Evidence Forward

Import or collect responses, open themes to review their source excerpts, then add selected evidence to the relevant decision file.
- Capabilities at Work

#### Bring in the Material

#### Bring Existing Answers Together

#### Deepen Unclear Answers

#### Transform Without Cutting the Source

#### Surface the Findings

#### Review the Source Excerpts

#### Formalize the Decision

#### When the Why Changes What Comes Next

Open questions are not just about getting people to talk. They give the team the reasons it needs to choose an action.
- Informed Decisions

#### Remote Exploratory Interviews

Deepen open-ended responses remotely without scheduling every exchange individually.
- Featured Use Case

#### Training & Learning

#### Product & Marketing

#### Groups & Cohorts

#### The team reviews before deciding.

Harmate speeds up review. The team opens themes, rereads their source excerpts, and chooses which evidence to retain.
- Team Control

#### Open the Themes

Each theme provides access to the wording it contains, including ambiguous or sensitive responses.

#### Review the Findings

Cited findings retain the excerpts used so the team can review them.

#### Choose the Evidence

Evidence joins a decision file only after the team explicitly selects it.

#### Frequently Asked Questions

#### Do open questions replace multiple-choice questions?

No. They complement multiple-choice questions when nuance changes the decision: motivation, blockers, expectations, constraints, or unexpected signals.

#### How do findings stay connected to answers?

In the thematic analysis, open a theme to review its source excerpts. The team then selects the evidence useful to its decision file.

#### Is it useful with only a few answers?

Yes, when the decision requires understanding why. With a small corpus, the value mainly comes from clarity, comparison, and traceability.

#### Can existing answers be analyzed?

Yes. Existing answers can be imported, cleaned, and analyzed in the same journey as answers collected with Harmate.

#### Can findings be used to form groups?

Yes, when grouping serves a clear action and the criteria remain explainable: need for structure, goals, autonomy, or complementarity.

#### Review the useful excerpts. Carry the evidence into the decision.

Collect or import free-form answers, review the sources behind your themes, and carry useful evidence into a shareable decision file.
- Create an Open Questionnaire
- Explore Decision Files