> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://strella-7d79fa26-mintlify-8c581790.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Compare Participant Segments Side by Side in Analysis

> Use the Add Comparison tool to view how different audience groups respond to the same themes without exporting data or building new projects.

The Add Comparison feature lets you split your analysis by participant group and see how different segments respond to the same themes, questions, and concepts — all within the Analysis view. Instead of exporting data and pivot-tabling your way to a segment comparison, you set up the comparison directly in Strella and get results instantly.

## What Add Comparison does

When you add a comparison, Strella takes the themes, charts, and verbatims already surfaced in your analysis and breaks them out by the groups you define. You pick the variable (a screener question or an in-call survey question), choose which response options to compare, and Strella rebuilds your analysis view to show each group side by side.

This is particularly valuable when your research includes participants with meaningfully different backgrounds, behaviors, or attitudes — and you want to understand whether and how those differences shape their responses.

## How to use Add Comparison

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Analysis tab">
    Navigate to **Results > Analysis** in your project. You can use Add Comparison in either Objective View or Question View.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Add Comparison">
    Select **Add Comparison** in the top-right corner of the Analysis view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your comparison variable">
    Select the question you want to segment by:

    * **Screener question** — a question your participants answered before the interview (e.g., "Have you used this product before?" or "How often do you purchase online?")
    * **In-call survey question** — a question asked during the interview itself (e.g., "How would you rate your experience with this feature?")
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select response groups to compare">
    Choose the specific response options you want to compare. For example:

    * *Yes* vs *No*
    * *Low* vs *Medium* vs *High*
    * *Weekly* vs *Monthly* vs *Rarely*

    You can include two or more groups in a single comparison.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the updated analysis">
    Strella immediately filters your analysis by the selected groups. Themes, charts, and participant quotes all update to reflect the comparison.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Toggle and explore">
    Use the toggles to turn individual comparison groups on or off, or switch to a different variable entirely to examine another segmentation angle without restarting.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What you'll see

Once a comparison is active, your analysis view changes to surface segment-specific data throughout:

<Accordion title="Charts and themes">
  Each chart and theme cluster updates to show results for each comparison group separately. You can see at a glance which themes appear more prominently for one group versus another, and how their frequency distributions differ.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Verbatims labeled by segment">
  Participant quotes are labeled with the segment they belong to (e.g., "Screener: Experienced Users" or "Survey: Low Satisfaction"). This makes it easy to read through verbatims and immediately understand who said what without cross-referencing session details.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Frequency counts and sentiment by segment">
  Each comparison group displays its own frequency count (how many participants in that group mentioned a theme) and sentiment summary (positive, neutral, or negative tone). You can compare these numbers directly to understand the scale and direction of differences.
</Accordion>

## When to use it

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Understand audience differences" icon="users">
    Identify whether a new user and an experienced user are responding to the same concept in fundamentally different ways — and tailor your recommendations accordingly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Spot sentiment divergence" icon="face-meh">
    Find out if a feature or concept is landing differently with different groups. One segment might rate it highly while another expresses frustration — comparisons make this visible instantly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Validate screener decisions" icon="clipboard-check">
    Confirm that the segments you recruited are actually behaving differently in your research — a useful quality check before finalizing your report.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build sharper recommendations" icon="bullseye">
    Back your recommendations with segment-specific evidence. For example: "New users emphasize ease of setup; experienced users prioritize customization and control."
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Start with your most meaningful screener question — typically the one you used to define your key audience segments — to see if the research confirms your hypotheses about those groups.
</Tip>

<Note>
  Add Comparison works within your existing Analysis view. It does not create a separate project or alter your underlying data — you can toggle comparisons on and off freely.
</Note>